Development can go ahead as plans to demolish an iconic building for 59 flats have been given the go-ahead.

Yesterday (June 28), Three Rivers District Council officially approved detailed plans to demolish Scotsbridge House, in Scots Hill, Croxley Green, which is shown on maps dating back to 1838.

Outline plans had already been approved in October 2020, meaning the principle of the development was not in question, but the developer still needed sign-off on the appearance of the block it planned to build and the proposed landscaping work.

Scotsbridge House from above.Scotsbridge House from above. (Image: Google Maps)

Farming charity Holstein UK has owned the historic iconic building, most recently used as offices, since 1951 but according to planning documents it had been “unsympathetically maintained” and is “in a poor state of repair”.

Recommending approval for the initial outline plan, district council officers had concluded that “any adverse impacts of granting planning permission” would not outweigh the benefits.

All flats would be within one three-storey block in roughly the same area as the existing building. It is designed have a green roof growing wild plants.

The plan includes 22 one-bedroom flats, 30 two-bedrooms, and seven three-bedrooms. A basement with 91 parking spaces as well as 70 surface-level parking spaces are proposed.

The developer said that its plan would “create an attractive, legible, and safe environment for the future occupiers and visitors, with a clear sense of place, and which respects the existing character of the local area”.

“The appearance of the proposed dwellings supports the objective of delivering a high quality building which has sustainability at its heart,” it added.

Entrance to Scotsbridge House site. (Image: Google Street View)

Croxley Green Parish Council said it supported the development “that will bring additional housing that is much needed” but objected to a lack of information on the modular design and how the green roof would work when it was consulted in March 2023.

Further information on the details mentioned were then provided.

No affordable housing was proposed because the developer claimed that providing this would not be financially viable, which the council’s officers agreed was suitably demonstrated by its analysis.