Watford Borough Council has been granted permission to redevelop one of its depots.

The plans for Paddock Road Depot in Oxhey will see a number of "dilapidated" buildings knocked down and replaced with a storage yard and four storage containers for community use.

The council-owned land currently comprises a mix of garages and sheds but it would be replaced by a depot for storage of machinery and materials for council workers including its highways team.

As the site lies just over the border in Hertsmere, neighbouring Hertsmere Borough Council was the local authority responsible for deciding the application.

Although the land is within the green belt, it is designated as brownfield. Council officers considered that because the new development floorspace is "significantly" smaller than the existing use, it would not be deemed as "inappropriate" development within the green belt.

Planting around the site and an improved visual appearance overall also persuaded officers to grant the application the green light.

Original proposals for the site were for it to include a woodland cemetery along with the storage areas but the cemetery plan was later dropped.

The scheme, situated near Paddock Road Allotments, received no objections from the public.