THE latest attempt to bring the former Whitegate Nurseries site back into use has been abandoned.
Whitegate Bristol Ltd had applied for class B8 use – for storage or distribution – at the disused garden centre at Stockwood Hill on the edge of Keynsham.
But the company withdrew its planning application before Bath and North East Somerset could make a decision.
Keynsham Town Council had formally objected to the plan, citing road safety concerns.
Whitegate Nurseries had argued that there was a need to bring the site back into use as opposed to leaving it “empty and derelict.”
It said the solution was to use the site and the largest building for class B8 purposes that would retain the existing building and avoid altering the site “in any way.”
A previous planning application, to turn sheds and greenhouses at the site into housing, was submitted in 2021.
But it was rejected by B&NES Council, which was concerned that that the greenhouses might not be able to support the proposed double-glazing and new roofs.
The developer appealed but a planning inspector upheld the council’s decision.