A medieval timber-framed building on Maldon High Street is one step closer to being turned into flats, after an application relating to the proposal was approved by planning officers.

The applicant, Gary Tann, has been granted listed building consent by Maldon District Council to extend and transform the Grade II listed building, which was previously an office for estate agents Bairstow Eves.

Mr Tann hopes to create a work unit and a one-bedroom apartment on the ground floor of the building alongside two one-bedroom first-floor apartments to its rear, which would involve an extension.

Granting listed building consent for the proposal, a planning officer said: "The proposed subdivision into four separate units will to some degree impair the ability to appreciate the building's significance, as it will no longer be possible to easily experience the whole of the interior of the building."

But they said: "The submitted scheme would avoid the loss of important historic structure due to its design."

They praised "positive elements" of the application, including "the restoration of one of the internal walls of the building, and replacement of the current modern shop front with a more sympathetic traditionally detailed shopfront".

The conservation officer at the district council added: "The areas of historic fabric to be removed are small and unimportant and the proposed pattern of subdivision would to some extent reflect how the building was used in the past."

The building is one of the oldest structures in Maldon and, from at least the 16th century, was an inn known as the Saracen's Head.

It was refurbished in the early 19th century.

The planning officer said: "Its medieval and Tudor timber-framed structure is of considerable architectural and archaeological interest.

"The early-19th-century refurbishment reflects an important phase in the town's history during which many older houses on the High Street were altered in a similar manner.

"As a well-preserved historic building in a prominent position facing a bend in the road, the property makes an important contribution to the special character of the Maldon Conservation Area."

Although the application has been granted listed building consent, relating to the impact of the proposal on the significance of the historic building, it still needs to be given planning permission to go ahead.

The town council recommended the application for planning permission for refusal earlier this month, after raising concerns about overdevelopment.

Officers will take material considerations such as overdevelopment into account when considering the application for planning permission.

The district council will make the final decision.