Russell Lane 54-home plan recommended for approval

A field between Russell Lane and the A41 roundabout in North Watford has long been earmarked for potential development, although the proposals have been met with some resistance since being first mooted in August 2023.

Councillors on Watford Borough Council's development management committee will meet next week (December 3) to vote on whether to approve the plans.

The plans look set to be approved (Image: Google Maps/Canva) Hertfordshire County Council (HCC) previously joined residents in voicing fears over the project, highlighting issues with the developer’s assessment of traffic levels at the access from Hempstead Road and asking for more consideration of its transport links.

This objection has now been dropped, after applicant North Western Avenue Watford Limited revised the scheme to include fewer homes and access changes.

• Russell Lane plans: developer would pay to rework junction
• Russell Lane plan reduced to 55 homes with traffic changes
• 57 home plan submitted for land near Russell Lane and A41

The plans are now for 54 homes, down from the 57 first proposed last year. This will be a mixture of three, four and five-bedroom properties.

A CGI of the proposed elevations (Image: North Western Avenue Ltd)

The reduction comes from shrinking a row of three homes nearest the access to one detached three-bedroom house and thereby leaving a space from the edge of the site.

All of the houses are described as "larger family homes", with 13 of those homes classed as affordable social rented houses.

The field that would be built on is currently home to these ponies. (Image: Courtlands Residents' Association) Some of the people living in the area also had issues with the plan, leading to an  extraordinary meeting of the Courtlands Residents' Association in November 2023.

Association members slammed it as “wrong on so many levels” and took issue with the loss of green space, likely traffic increase in “already congested” roads, and the proximity to the busy A41 roundabout - which they argued could impact potential residents’ quality of life.

Planning officers have provided councillors with a report that recommends the scheme be approved with conditions relating to the number of social housing and when the work will get under way.