Proposals to convert a former nursery on the outskirts of Burnham-On-Sea into a new development of five homes have this week been given the final go-ahead by Somerset Council.
The site – Rose Cottage Farm Nursery in Burnham Moor Lane at Edithmead – closed in the autumn of 2022.
The plans were approved on Tuesday (November 14th) by Somerset Council’s planning committee.
A previous planning application that was submitted in May 2020 stated that the nursery was faced with closure since it was unable to open its summer school during the pandemic, which meant the business had become unviable.
At that time, the plans were to convert the site into a pair of semi-detached bungalows, one of which would be used by the applicant, who owned and managed the site, as a retirement home.
The property has since been taken over by West Country Parks, which also owns Edithmead Leisure holiday park next door to the site.
Brand new proposals for the site were announced in September by the new owner to transform the former nursery site into what it describes as five “desperately needed low-value houses to rent.”
The new plans also include five parking spaces, a guest parking space, two disabled spaces, a shared electric vehicle charging point and bicycle storage.
The applicant says there are only a few changes from the designs that were approved in 2020. It also adds that the plans will result in less traffic than the former nursery.
The owner states in its design and access statement: “The proposal fits in with the applicant’s desire to create residential units that can be rented to single people who are likely to benefit from the nearby facilities at the Edithmead Park Homes site, which is also in the applicant’s ownership.”
Somerset Council has approved the application with five conditions:
