Plans to split up a site “of uncertain history” to create a new home in Watford have been approved.

Grove Wharf House, a vacant site off Hempstead Road, contains two buildings referred to as A and B. According to an applicant that submitted plans to Watford Borough Council in July, building A “was clearly last used as a single-family dwelling house”.

Although there are “signs” of residential use at building B, which has a garage at the front and rooms at the back, what it actually was remains unclear. Therefore, the proposal sought to regularise its authorised use and officially split it off from the site as its own family home.

“Building B appears to have been used variously as a dwelling, as a live-work unit and as a studio workshop,” planning documents said.

“Whilst it has a kitchen, sanitary facilities, heating, and bed spaces, it has an exceptionally poor internal layout, befitting of its uncertain history of residential and other uses.”

The applicant added that it is “in poor decorative order though structurally sound” and so also proposed to “rationalise” the interior into a three-bedroom house.

Grove Wharf (building B visible from street). (Image: Google Street View) Knocking down and replacing extensions to building A formed part of the same application.

The council approved the applications this week after officers noted the benefits of bringing vacant properties back into use in a primarily residential area.