Plans refused for bungalow in Watford house's garden

The property at the corner of Briar Road and Bramble Close in North Watford would have used part of its garden as the site of a one-bedroom bungalow under a proposal submitted in April.

The existing garden space is divided by two parking spaces and the plot earmarked for development is currently “unused” according to the application.

The area of the back garden included in the plan. (Image: Google Maps) While the existing property faces north onto Briar Road, the new bungalow would have had a separate driveway and a parking space on Bramble Close.

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But Watford Borough Council denied the application on June 12 as planning officers argued it would cause “unacceptable harm” to the area’s character.

The unused garden as seen from Bramble Close. (Image: Google Street View) Although it would not have appeared “excessively dominant” due to its size, it also would not have integrated well with the surrounding two-storey buildings, officers said.

They also concluded that the bungalow would have been legally too small for a two-person home, as the floorspace would have measured 37.6 square metres compared to the minimum of 50 square metres.