Plans for Abingdon's historic Morland Brewery to be developed into houses and flats have been approved, writes Roseena Parveen.

The Vale of White Horse District Council agreed to allow 181 homes to be developed on the site in Ock Street, subject to details being finalised.

The Berkeley Homes scheme is being hailed as the most important in Abingdon for years.

Jerry Patterson, planning committee chairman, welcomed the scheme but said he lamented the loss of the country's second oldest brewery. Brewers Greene King shut Morland in February.

He said: "It will be a great addition to the town and will probably win awards. The thought that has gone into preserving historic buildings is commendable and the quality of design is high.

"It will contribute a great deal to keeping Abingdon a viable market town."

The implications of the development for Abingdon are huge. Carswell Primary School will have to expand to accommodate new families. Berkeley Homes will be legally obliged to help fund the expansion. Ock Street, the main road into the town centre, will be adjusted to allow safe access to the new homes and a new pedestrian crossing is planned. CCTV links with Abingdon police station are also to be installed.

The Mill Stream is to be widened to allay the Environment Agency's concerns that the site is prone to flooding once every 100 years.

Abingdon Library is to expand and Berkeley Homes will help fund the Abingdon Transport Strategy currently being developed. The scheme is set to go ahead despite objections raised by different groups.

They included fears by Leach's Printers, which has been on the western boundary of the defunct brewery for 65 years, that its own future could be threatened.

Leach's managing director John Towler had feared new residents would scupper his expansion plans by complaining about noise from print machines. Now triple glazed windows and a ventilation scheme preventing the need to open windows is being planned for houses nearest the printers.

Abingdon Town Council objected to a second bridge over Mill Stream, which runs along part of the site. The Vale has decided to keep the bridge in the scheme. It is hoped the town council will one day allow the bridge to be built.