Plans for a new four storey building in St Albans have come under attack at London's High Court.

The owners of a block of flats next door that says lounge rooms in their property will be "overshadowed" by the building.

W. E. Black Ltd, which owns the block of flats at 53 Victoria Street (pictured in map below), is asking a judge to quash St Albans District Council's decision last October to approve the development of the vacant lot next door at number 55.

W.E. Black says that the former building on the site was only two storeys high.

But they say the new building, which is to include office space and 14 flats, will have a negative impact on residents of the rearmost flats in in their building.

They have asked the judge to order the council to reconsider the planning application made by West Register (Realisations) Ltd who want to develop the new building.

Now Deputy Judge John Howell QC has reserved his decision in the case and is expected to give it in writing later.

The council says that there was already a previous planning permission for a four storey development on number 55 in place when the owners of number 53 carried out a residential conversion of their property.

It maintains that this was a material consideration it was entitled to take into account.

However, Stephen Whale argued on behalf of W.E. Black that the earlier planning permission lapsed without being implemented in June 2014.

That was four months before this second permission which is now under challenge was granted. As a result, he argued that it should not have swayed the opinion of the Council's planning officer on the key question of impact on neighbouring properties.

The officer took the view that the impact on amenity of neighbouring occupiers would be "acceptable", but Mr Whale said that, if the development takes place, the outlook of occupiers in the existing flats will be damaged.