The redevelopment of a former Edmonton pub has been given the go-ahead after a planning inspector overruled a previous decision to reject it.

Plans to demolish The Cart Overthrown in Montagu Road and build 61 flats in blocks up to eight storeys high were backed by the government-appointed inspector after developer Ercan Ucur appealed against Enfield Council’s refusal.

The scheme will provide 21 affordable homes, with 70% for social rent and 30% for intermediate rent. There will be 26 three-bedroom and seven four-bedroom units.

An inn called The Cart Overthrown was recorded in the area during the 18th Century, but the current building dates back to the 1930s. After changing its name several times, and following unsuccessful attempts to market the pub, it closed in 2017.

Planning bosses at the council recommended the development for approval, claiming it would “make a positive contribution to housing delivery and the local environment”. The plans included a replacement pub on the ground floor, 37 car parking spaces and 120 cycle bays for residents.

But the council’s planning committee refused the scheme in May last year. Councillors ruled the development would harm the area’s appearance, that an increase in traffic and on-street parking would compromise highway safety, and that the scheme would not provide enough affordable housing.

In an appeal decision published on July 13, planning inspector David Wallis wrote that the eight-storey block “would not appear out of place”, and that most of the building would be “comparable in height” to surrounding homes. Nearby Walbrook House is more than 20 storeys high, and there are four-storey blocks of flats to the north-west of the site.

He added: “The proposal would visually contrast with the immediate surroundings, but its modern design and appearance would serve as an enhancement to the locality and an improvement on the current building on the appeal site.”

The planning inspector said the scheme complied with traffic and parking policies and “would not cause harm to highway safety”, adding that although the level of affordable housing would be below the 40% target set by the council, it aligned with London Plan policies.

He also wrote that the plan to provide a replacement pub meant there would be no loss of a community facility.