AN INDOOR electric go-karting centre could be set up in a vacant unit behind the Waitrose store in Keynsham.
The premises at Unit 1 in Unity Road were previously used by haulage company IJ McGill Transport for warehousing and distribution. They have been vacant for over 19 months.
Now Go Karting for Fun Limited, which operates under the name of TeamSport, is seeking planning permission to change the use of the building.
TeamSport runs 35 indoor karting tracks nationwide, including one in Bristol. It says 97% of its centre are located within industrial areas similar to the Keynsham site.
It is proposed that the centre would be open from 8am to 11pm every day and would create about 40 jobs.
The applicant anticipates that weekday morning sessions would be for private or corporate use, while weekend sessions would be for small groups of family or friends.
Vehicle access would remain from the through road from Broadmead Lane.
There would be 47 car parking spaces, including two disabled bays, and one motorcycle space. An existing covered area for 10 bicycles would remain.
The detached building was occupied as a single unit by IJ McGill before being split in two following the granting of planning permission in 2019. The other half is occupied by builders merchant CRS Building Supplies.
The applicant’s planning statement says: “The site has been vacant since October 2022. The property has been refurbished, and despite these upgrade works, there has been no serious interest in the site from industrial or warehouse users. Neither has there been interest from builders merchants.”
The applicant says that noise assessments indicate that the centre could operate without adverse effect on the nearest residential properties in Unity Road, about 35 metres west of the site.
Bath and North East Somerset Council will rule on the planning application, reference 24/02198/FUL. The deadline for comments is July 18
