Plans to build houses and flats on the site of the former Air Balloon pub in Abingdon have been approved.

Two semi-detached houses, four town houses and three flats are to be built on the Ock Street site.

Similar plans last year were rejected but the revised proposals, approved by the Vale of White Horse District, contain less homes.

It says the new homes' residents must be made aware of the annual Michaelmas Fair when the High Street and Ock Street are closed for two days and vehicles banned from the streets.

The district's architect said the development would improve the area's appearance.

Oxfordshire County Council's archaeology unit wants to make a field evaluation of the site before work on the development starts later this year.

The Air Balloon has been standing empty for three years. The pub is thought to have got its name in the 18th century in recognition of balloonist Jacques Montgolfier.

Meanwhile, plans to build 20 homes on the site of the empty Red Lion pub in Abingdon have been delayed because of fears that the development could cause traffic problems on the main road in the Vineyard.

Vale of White Horse District councillors agreed with the principal of redeveloping the site. But they feared possible traffic problems might conflict with Abingdon's transport strategy, which is being developed to improve the town and make journeys easier for traffic.

District councillor Julie Mayhew-Archer told a meeting of the council's development control committee that she was worried about access to and from the site.

She said: "Another 250 homes are planned in the Vineyard area and I am worried about access to and from these homes. It needs to be addressed before any development takes place, and ensure it does not conflict with the transport plans."

Abingdon Town Council has told the district council of its concerns about access to the site and nearby New Street, which is to be turned into a 'Home Zone' area to make it safer for pedestrians, cyclists and drivers.

The county engineer has raised no concerns over the Red Lion development, but district councillors want him to look again at the scheme.