Plans to build a new block of flats in Watford have been rejected because they are considered too ugly.

Developers proposed knocking down the existing van showroom and associated office buildings in St Albans Road, replacing them with a four-storey building containing 23 flats – nine of them one-bedroom units and 14 of them two-bedroom.

The proposal also included plans to modify the access junction to St Albans Road to provide 23 parking spaces for the inhabitants of the block.

Despite not objecting to the scheme in principal, members of Watford Borough Council’s development management committee rejected the proposal on a number of grounds, including the style “falling short of meeting the requirements for good design”, instead being described as “adequate at best”.

Watford Observer:

A report to the committee stated that the proposed scheme “is not considered to be of the quality of design, layout and accommodation necessary for this prominent site”, with a “cramped and visually dominant parking layout, and an insufficient and heavily overshadow amenity area”.

Other faults included a complete absence of affordable housing provision, a lack of amenity with a number of units “experiencing inadequate levels of natural light”, and the proposed mix of unit sizes deemed “unacceptable” for the location.