There will be more protection for historical buildings after council has approved a heritage list.

Watford Borough Council’s Cabinet last night (11 February) approved the addition of 28 buildings to the heritage Local List of 264 buildings - ensuring Watford’s most important heritage buildings are given greater protection.

The Local List includes buildings of all types that are significant to Watford because of their architectural or historical interest.

Inclusion on the list ensures that their significance is taken into account when planning applications are dealt with.

Elected Mayor Peter Taylor said: “The 264 Locally Listed buildings in Watford are an important part of the town’s story. I want to protect Watford’s heritage and the Local List helps us to do this.

"It means that the history of these special buildings can be taken into account when we’re considering planning applications.

"Once these buildings are gone, they are lost forever. It’s our duty to preserve them where we can.”

The list of buildings includes a wide range of properties and structures, from the Watford Girls’ Grammar School and the town’s Central Library, to Edwardian horse troughs and World War II pillboxes.

The list also features buildings in the town that were designed by architects of international importance, including Ethel Clara McNamara - one of the first women architects to be recognised as such in England in the 1920s.