Significant changes to the long-awaited Riverwell project look set to be approved, including the axing of a planned community home and a drop in the amount of affordable housing included.

A meeting of Watford Borough Council's Development Management Committee next Tuesday (November 5) will discuss changes to the scheme, with planning officers recommending the amendments be approved.

In 2021 plans were approved for the site, near Vicarage Road football stadium and Watford General Hospital, that would see 192 homes built, as well as a new  community centre.

But over the summer, developers submitted an amendment that would see the community centre axed and the number of affordable homes in the plan dropped from 62 to 23.

(Image: Kier Property) If approved, all of the mooted affordable housing in the second phase of the project would fall by the wayside.

This is currently slated to be comprised of:

  • 12 x 3 bed 5 person social rented maisonettes
  •  8 x 3 bed 5 person social rented houses
  • 3 x 3 bed 5 person affordable rented houses 

The community centre would be replaced by the construction of three new apartments.

Earlier this year, Riverwell insisted it was "still committed" to the community centre despite signalling an intent to scrap it.

The scheme is being developed by the council alongside Kier Property.

Kier Property senior development director Tim Shaw said: “As a joint venture, we remain committed to delivering a community centre and other facilities as set out in the masterplan, although the proposal is to relocate this from the apartment block at Avenues to a future phase of the Watford Riverwell project."

The first phase of the scheme is said to be close to completion, with hundreds of homes and a new hospital car park being built.

The second phase is yet to get under way, with the project managers seeking to make changes to the 'housing mix' before work commences.

Riverwell is a £450m scheme around Thomas Sawyer Way that is eventually intended to deliver more than 1,000 homes to the area.

Councillors will vote on the amended plan at Tuesday evening's meeting.