Watford’s first co-living scheme can be built in an 18-storey tower block near Watford Junction railway station, the borough council has agreed.
At a meeting yesterday (Tuesday, July 22), the planning committee unanimously backed a recommendation from officers that they vote to grant planning permission for the development of the former Clarendon House site at the northern end of Bridle Path.
The development includes 210 studio flats, as well as communal facilities including kitchens, dining areas, lounges, workspaces and fitness spaces.
Permission was agreed despite Hertfordshire Highways raising concerns about a lack of improvements to the area around the proposed block.
Hertfordshire Highways’ views led to committee chair Cllr Mark Watkin claiming they may be attempting to “bully” the borough council by engaging in a “tactical move” about where funding for improvements should come from.
Borough council officers said highways improvements “cannot be reasonably sought [from the developer] as they are not directly related to the development”, though the developer will pay £250,000 towards wider highway improvements.
Hertfordshire Highways also raised concerns about servicing the building and its turning area, but council officers said these were not “significant” and committee member Cllr Ian Sharpe said he believed there were not valid grounds for refusal on highways grounds.
The proposed building for the site was originally intended by applicants Re:shape Living and IHG Ltd to be 24 storeys high, but this was reduced to 18 storeys after discussions with the borough council.
Residents will have to stay for at least three months, and the development will be “car-free” with no on-site parking included and residents unable to obtain parking permits.
Most bedrooms will be single occupancy, though 22 of the rooms could have two residents. In all, 35% of rooms will be ‘affordable’ and available with a 25% discount on market rents.
Jermaine Browne, co-founder of Re:shape Living, said co-living is “community housing” and would “reduce pressure on family housing” by adding more “purpose-built” accommodation for individuals.
He continued: “We live in a situation where, unfortunately, a lot of people between the ages of 20 and 40 years old have to live in HMOs [houses of multiple occupation] or be stuck with parents.
“They’re often living in a bedroom that doesn’t have an en-suite, doesn’t have a kitchenette and, depending on how much money they earn, they might not have a living room.
“We very much see co-living as living bigger than the circumstances that, unfortunately, a lot of people have to live in in this country currently.
“Human connection is very important to co-living.
“When you live in a co-living building, you have community events, you have free breakfasts every Wednesday, you can do yoga on the roof together, you can bring people together, and that’s really what co-living is about.”
Committee members Cllr Stephen Johnson and Cllr Nigel Bell said they backed the principle of co-living, though Cllr Johnson warned it could be “challenging” for the block to be car-free, with a risk that there would be “people complaining” about residents parking in the area.
Cllr Rabi Martins agreed that it was a “good project”, but cautioned that the council must be “careful” to avoid the number of storeys allowed on buildings going up over time and “changing [Watford] beyond all recognition”. He said there was a risk the council had “gone soft” on tall buildings.
In response, Cllr Glen Saffery said there are other buildings of a “similar height” in the area and praised the efforts of council officers in getting the height reduced to 18 storeys, adding: “This is the best we could have hoped for.”
Council officers said the developer is set to pay £1.6m as its Community Infrastructure Levy, with the money added to a pot that can be spent on improving local infrastructure.
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