McLaren Living secures approval for 314-home mixed-use development in Watford

Residential developer McLaren Living has received planning permission for a 314-home build-to-rent (BTR) mixed-use scheme in Watford, Hertfordshire.

The development will transform the former Watford Police Station and Magistrates Court on Clarendon Road, incorporating co-living units alongside the residential offering. The 1.75-acre brownfield site will also feature a new public green square, 31,441 sq ft of workspace, 4,485 sq ft of retail space, including a café, and approximately 6,000 sq ft of children’s play areas.

The plans include enhanced public spaces, landscaping, parking, and 400 cycle spaces. McLaren has committed to reducing the project’s embodied carbon by repurposing some existing structures, targeting an overall carbon reduction of 72.5%.

Patrick Joyce, development director at McLaren Living, said: “We very much look forward to delivering on our plans for Clarendon Road and bringing forward a new mixed-use urban quarter for Watford. It is an exciting opportunity to revitalise this part of Clarendon Road and to deliver much-needed homes, workspace, a new garden square, and public realm on an underutilised town centre site. We will continue to work with Watford Borough Council, the local community, and stakeholders as we bring our proposals forward.”

As part of the development, McLaren will contribute £3.5 million through Section 106 agreements.

Hertfordshire Police Constabulary vacated the site in February 2024. Details regarding construction timelines and costs have yet to be disclosed.