Bath & North East Somerset Council has given the go-ahead for the redevelopment of a derelict pub into housing.
Furlong Developments Ltd has been granted planning permission and listed building consent to redevelop the former Fir Tree Inn at the junction of Frome Road and Knobsbury Lane in Radstock.
Vacant since 2010, the building is Grade II listed and dates from 1820.
Planning permission and listed building consent had been granted back in 2011 to convert the property into residential units but this was never implemented and had lapsed.
The new scheme involves the conversion of the pub, a new extension and a new-build development to create a total of nine homes.
They will be a mix of one and two-bed apartments. Affordable housing provision is not required as part of this proposal.
The scheme includes parking for 13 cars, cycle storage, landscaping and private amenity space.
The two existing vehicular access points from Frome Road and Knobsbury Lane will both be retained for the redevelopment.
The council received 11 comments of support for the plans. There were also three objections, saying that access is at a busy road junction with standstill traffic at peak hours, and the plans would result in extra traffic at school times.
They also said the site would be better suited to become a hub for community use.
In their assessment, council planners said there is housing on three sides of the development site and Writhlington School is on the fourth side. The site is within walking distance of shops, community facilities and a bus link.
They said: “The reinstatement of the pub use has been demonstrated to be unviable and the building has fallen into disrepair throughout the years of it remaining empty.
“The existing building contributes negatively to local character on this arterial route for Radstock on a prominent junction and has become a site for anti-social behaviour.
“The re-use of the building and provision of housing will positively contribute to the appearance and character of the site and the local community.”
