St Albans Road flat to become HMO as plan approved

The three-bedroom above Body Boutique, in St Albans Road, was the subject of a planning application to Watford Borough Council at the start of February, which would have reworked it into a four-bedroom property.

Yesterday (March 8), the council approved the proposal after its planning officer judged it would be lawful under permitted development rules.

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Formerly a dental technician’s office, the first and second floors above the shop were turned into a flat in 2012.

It is laid out with a living room and separate kitchen on the first floor and three bedrooms above it, for a family unit.

The Body Boutique unit was formerly Topaz Hair and Beauty. (Image: Google Street View)

Designs show that to create a house of multiple occupancy (HMO), part of the living room will have to become a bedroom while the rest would be combined with the kitchen for a kitchen/living room setup.

The upstairs flats would then each have an en-suite bathroom and have their sizes adjusted. The bathroom for the first floor bedroom would sit slightly lower than first floor level with stairs next to the entrance to the bedroom.