A new restaurant has won permission to open in St Albans Road – but only after councillors were convinced it will not become another take-away.

The restaurant will now open on the former HSBC Bank site, on the corner of Regent Street. The site, which until recently housed an employment agency, has been empty since July.

The restaurant last night received permission to open after Town Hall officers assured councillors it would not be able to operate as a take-away.

The decision, made last night by Watford Borough Council's development control committee, comes after an application to open a take-away on a neighbouring property was rejected by the same committee last year.

Speaking at last night's meeting, however, Councillor George Derbyshire asked whether the council should impose restrictions to stop the owners surreptitiously operating as a take-away.

He said: “There is a danger that a restaurant will morph into a take-away, where we have a situation where the primary use is as a restaurant and the secondary use is as a take-away, and that then changes over time.

“I would actually prefer we use a provision we have to secure against the possibility of this morphing into a take-away.”

However, councillors were assured the restaurant owners would have to reapply to the committee if they wanted to start operating as a take-away.

Five residents had written to the council to oppose the plan and sited additional noise, unpleasant smells and parking as reasons for refusal.

Councillor Steve Rackett also asked whether the council could turn down the application because of the number of empty properties, which already have permission to open as restaurants.

The plans were passed by six votes to one, with Councillor Rackett voting against the application.