Progress towards a revamped Watford General Hospital looks increasingly unstoppable after Watford Borough Council unanimously granted outline planning permission for it to be redeveloped.

The plans involve building a new hospital, which could be 17 storeys high, next door to its current Vicarage Road site.

But some campaigners have consistently called for a new building on a site between Watford, Hemel Hempstead and St Albans, making valid points and with strong arguments.

This rebuild has been on the cards for several years now, and both sides agree the current hospital is in a poor condition.

Mayor Peter Taylor called the decision “great news for the town”.

An artists impression of how a revamped Watford General Hospital might look

An artist's impression of how a revamped Watford General Hospital might look

How a revamped hospital might look

But others are not so happy about them. CGI and rendered drawings have been released which show how the new hospital could look - some have called this an eyesore.

Time will tell how the new hospital will look, but some of the points that campaigners for a new hospital have made could be taken on board to optimise the revamped Watford General Hospital.

With work expected to start in 2023, it may be time even critics used their energies to make sure the new designs are as good as they can be for patients and staff, rather than trying to halt them.