Latest bid submitted to redevelop former Keynsham nurseries site

The latest attempt to redevelop the former garden centre at Stockwood Hill on the edge of Keynsham has been unveiled.

The former Whitegates Nurseries site on Stockwood Hill

Outline planning permission is being sought by Whitegate Bristol Ltd to demolish buildings at the Whitegate Nurseries site and erect three buildings containing 15 industrial units (Class B2, general industrial).

The application submitted to Bath & North East Somerset Council says the proposals are an opportunity to provide new employment opportunities through the redevelopment of a brownfield site.

The nurseries on Stockwood Hill closed in 2018 after trading for 64 years, with the owner blaming crippling business rates and competition from big retailers.

In 2021 an application to build up to nine homes on the Green Belt site was submitted to the council but later withdrawn.

A proposal was then lodged to turn five of the buildings into six homes. But refusing that scheme in 2022, the council said it would involve the substantial reconstruction of buildings “tantamount to the construction of new houses within the open countryside”.

The council also said that Stockwood Hill is not safe for cyclists or pedestrians and there were concerns about biodiversity and the impact on important trees and bats.

The developer went to appeal in 2023 and a planning inspector upheld the council’s decision.

In autumn 2023 Whitegate Bristol Ltd submitted a planning application for Class B8 use (storage or as a distribution centre) for part of the site and the largest building but that was withdrawn before the council could make a decision.

The planning reference for the latest scheme is 25/04385/OUT, and the deadline for comments is 18th December.