New plans to build flats on former Garston bus garage submitted

Fairview New Homes has officially submitted its new application to Watford Borough Council to build more than a hundred flats in St Albans Road in Garston.

The developer has previously been knocked back in attempts to build 165 flats on the former Arriva bus garage site by both the council and a Government planning inspector.

In March, Fairview unveiled new proposals to redevelop the site into 127 flats, and put those plans to the council on May 6.

Similar to the initial application, the bus garage and two-storey locally listed Marchwood House - former offices - would be knocked down.

Pictured is Marchwood House - locally listed former offices which would be demolished along with the bus garage behind. Credit: Google Street View

The new proposal is for five buildings ranging from three to five storeys to be built on the site.

In its planning statement, Fairview has referred to the locally listed former office building as of "low significance" and reiterated findings from its 2019 public consultation which they said concluded that locals "believed the site is in need of redevelopment".

The applicants say the revised proposals "seek to respond to the concerns raised by the previous application, proposing a scheme that sees a significant reduction in units (30 per cent) and a design that is more sympathetic and better relates to its surroundings".

CGI of the revised scheme. Five buildings would range from three to five storeys. Credit: Fairview New Homes.

Councillors on the planning committee were critical of the size of initial scheme, the amount of affordable housing offered, and the loss of the locally listed building.

The Government inspector, Richard Aston, was not so fussed by the loss of Marchwood House but agreed the scheme was too big and did not like the design either.

One resident who lives near the application site, in Codicote Road, disliked the first plans so much, he told the Observer back in 2019 that he and his family would "move home" if the flats were approved.

The entrance to the bus garage in St Albans Road in Garston

The 127 flats would be a mixture of one to three bedrooms. The planning statement says an affordable housing statement and viability assessment has been prepared which outlines Fairview’s

offer in relation to affordable housing - but no such report has yet been published in the planning portal.

As part of the new scheme, 90 parking spaces would be provided alongside 232 cycling spaces.

A new pedestrian entrance would be created to nearby Garston Park.

The latest planning application can be found in Watford Borough Council's planning portal. The reference number is 21/00698/FULM.