The planned demolition of a church hall can go ahead - with homes and a new hall set to take its place.
The rectangular building behind St Peter’s Church, Bushey Mill Lane, Watford, dates back to the 1930s but is now set to be demolished after the borough council’s development management committee approved a plan last week.
A new part single- and part two-storey church hall will be built, as well as two semi-detached houses which are set to have four bedrooms each.
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Parking provision at the church is reduced from 16 spaces to 14 under the proposal.
During the consultation process, six letters of support were sent in to the council while the seven objection letters claimed the proposed homes would be “overdevelopment” and not in keeping with the area.
There were also claims that the proposal would have traffic, light, outlook, and overlook issues for neighbours.
However, council officers judged that the development “would not cause a significant loss of light, outlook or privacy to neighbouring properties”.
St Peter’s Church (hall at the rear). (Image: Google Street View)
A report given to councillors before they made their decision added that a “good living environment would be provided for future occupiers of the proposed houses”.
The council appeared particularly keen on its contribution to the need for family-sized homes in the borough.
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