Whippendell Marine

Site Location

The site extends to 6,000m² or 0.6 hectares and comprises 3 large industrial buildings that are home to Whippendell Marine, an Electrical Engineering/Manufacturing Company. The site is located between Whippendell Road and Sydney Road as shown on the Aerial Photo.

The main building on site is part 3 and part 4 storeys in height and fronts Whippendell Road, stepping back to 2 storeys in height behind this frontage. The other two buildings are located to the rear of the site along Sydney Road and are 2-3 stories in height.

The site is square in shape with entrances on Whippendell Road to the north and Sydney Road to the south and residential uses to the east and west. The surrounding area is primarily residential in character, with terraced and semi-detached properties in the immediate vicinity of the site and a new apartment development with some ground floor retail uses located off The Gateway approximately 200m west. The site is located within easy access of Watford town centre approximately 1.75km away. There are no environmental designations on site or in the immediate local area and the site is in Flood Zone 1 (i.e. low risk).

Whippendell Marine has downsized considerably over the years and is looking to move to smaller premises. All the buildings on site are in a poor state of repair, very energy inefficient and are coming to the end of their lifespan. There are also issues regarding access for larger lorries and insufficient on-site parking. Oakford Homes are therefore proposing to redevelop the site to provide much needed new homes in the town.

The Proposals:

The proposed development comprises:

• The demolition of the 3 buildings on site and their replacement with 3 main buildings in comparable locations and of a similar scale;
• 81 residential apartments;
• 54 x 1 Bedroom homes;
• 27 x 2 Bedroom homes;
• 35% affordable housing in line with the Council’s requirements;
• Vehicle access from Sydney Road with parking provided in a central courtyard;
• At least 1 allocated parking space provided to each proposed apartment, along with additional visitor spaces;
• Each apartment will have their own bicycle/residents storage area located within the buildings; and
• The proposed buildings have been designed to reflect the character of the surrounding area and to respect the amenity of neighbouring residents by ensuring the proposed heights and mass are similar to the existing buildings on site.

Planning Background

The project team had a positive pre-application meeting with planning and urban design officers at Watford Borough Council on 18.01.18. The Council were supportive of the principle of redeveloping the site for residential use and provided detailed advice on the design of the proposed development. Following the public exhibition, the Council’s advice will be reviewed alongside comments from local residents and positive suggestions for change will be incorporated into the design.

On this basis, Oakford Homes’ propose to submit a planning application for the proposed development at the end of February 2018, following any changes to the proposals that are considered necessary in response to comments received during the current public consultation exercise.

Oakford Homes

Oakford homes is a privately-owned medium sized house builder based near Beaconsfield, Buckinghamshire that provides quality homes in the South East of England. Recent developments include 75 homes in Harefield, Middlesex alongside the Grand Union Canal including converting listed buildings and a development of 24 contemporary apartments in Rickmansworth located just off the High Street.

Further afield Oakford are currently developing schemes in Hampton Court, Henley and Thakeham in West Sussex that include community facilities like a new village hall. The Oakford management team have been responsible for a number of developments in the Watford area historically including Cassio Metro which was a development of 365 homes and a residents leisure club adjoining the Cassio Metro railway station nearby.