The site of a former Victorian brewery will be transformed to provide new flats after planning permission was granted.

The building and yard at 147 St Albans Road were originally used a brewery, opened by Samuel Roate in 1848 before being bought out by Benskins in 1898.

Production at the brewery ceased many years ago, and the building now consists of two one-bedroom flats at first floor level, and a vacant ground floor and lower ground floor commercial unit.

Under the plans drawn up by DTP Planning on behalf of Cassiobury Developments Ltd, the existing building which will be converted and extended to provide three further properties.

Another building will be erected in the adjoining yard to provide another five flats.

Arranged over three floors, this new structure will contain two one-bedroom flats on both the ground floor and first floors, and a two-bedroom flat on the second floor.

The site has an extensive planning history, with several developers seeking to demolish the old brewery building in recent years. Their plans were repeatedly rejected by Watford Borough Council as the building “makes a positive contribution to the conservation area”.

The adjoining yard to the rear was up until recently used to store construction equipment.

Objectors living nearby raised concern about parking problems and additional traffic that could be generated by the development.

However council planners dismissed these concerns by saying the development was to be “car free”, with future occupiers unable to apply for parking permits in the surrounding Controlled Parking Zones.

Conditional planning permission for the development was granted at a meeting of the council’s development management committee on January 6.