Yahoo News Plan to turn offices into flats refused
Plans for part of a Watford office building to be turned into flats have been shot down by planning officers.
Applicant SSSL and agent GC Planning Partnership Ltd had been seeking to turn the ground floor of Eclipse House in Sandown Road into four homes, only for the borough council to deny them prior approval for a change in use.
The ground floor of the two-storey property at the junction of Sandown Road and Bushey Mill Lane had been eyed for the new homes in an application submitted late last year.
The applicant had argued that full planning permission was not needed because the Article 4 direction on the building (requiring planning permission for a change of use from offices to housing) had lapsed last January.
The plans had drawn the ire of the Eclipse Industrial Centre Management Company which oversees the building.
Objecting to the plans, it wrote: "The management company objects to the introduction of residential dwellings because it was established to serve commercial property owners.
"The estate is home to businesses that use commercial vehicles throughout the day, such as articulated delivery trucks, forklifts, and waste vehicles. This environment is not compatible with residential living, as it would likely lead to noise and disruption."
The floor plans proposed by the applicant. (Image: GC Planning Partnership Ltd) In a report added to the planning portal yesterday (January 16), officers refused the application and refuted the claim that the Article 4 direction was no longer valid.
The applicant could still attempt a full planning application, although noted in its own statement that this would likely be unsuccessful due to the loss of office space involved.
