London and home counties builder Weston Homes on Tuesday revealed big plans at the Mipim property festival to convert a historic UK laundry factory into an £85 million residential scheme.
Chief executive Bob Weston told the Standard he has bought the Watford Laundry Factory, which once provided linen for the Royal Air Force and is where High Court judges had their collars pressed.
The laundry business was sold in 2015 and Weston Homes plans to redevelop the now vacant site into 227 dwellings, of which a number will be affordable.
Construction is expected to complete in 2021 and the laundry firm has since been relocated.
The deal brings Weston Homes’ development pipeline to 7500 homes worth £3 billion, comprising apartments under construction or in planning. Recent projects include those in Greenwich and Barking.
Boss Weston said he plans to continue buying sites in outer London boroughs and the outskirts.
He added that his company is “massively on an investment programme” in areas that will appeal to commuters priced out of the capital’s centre.
