Watford’s development management committee is set to discuss a plan to add 75 more flats to a 1,260-home scheme.

The controversial proposal to vary the in-progress Eight Gardens development off St Albans Road is the only application on the agenda for June 4’s meeting.

A recommendation from borough council officers has not yet been added to the agenda reports pack, published online today (May 24).

Watford Observer: The Eight Gardens.The Eight Gardens. (Image: Marjut Liverpool/Stephen Danzig, both via Watford Observer Camera Club)

Berkeley Homes submitted its variations to the existing permission, which allowed 1,214 residential units across 11 buildings - including towers of 28, 24, and 22 storeys, in November last year.

It now wants to add six new floors to the building known as N3 and two more to N4.

The developer said that it needs to include a second stair core in the buildings, because government fire safety regulations would likely soon require second staircases in buildings above 18 metres.

Watford Observer: CGI giving a bird's eye view of the development as originally proposed. CGI giving a bird's eye view of the development as originally proposed. (Image: Berkeley Homes)

It added: “The amendments include moderate height increases to buildings N3 and N4 to facilitate the delivery of second stair cores in all Phase 2 residential buildings, 75 new homes of which 42 will be affordable, the delivery of new residential amenity spaces, and an increase in the number of family homes being delivered for Watford.”

However, some residents who were already concerned about more than 1,000 new homes being added to the busy area blamed "greed" and branded the idea "laughable".

There have been 34 objections to the application.