New bid to change offices into housing on Wellsway

A FRESH attempt is being made to convert an office building on the Wellsway, Keynsham, into housing.

Mace Systems Ltd had earlier applied for prior approval to turn Wellsway House, at number 9, into four flats.

But Bath and North East Somerset Council refused to grant permission last year on the grounds that there would not be enough natural light in all the habitable rooms.

Now Mace Systems is seeking prior approval to turn the property, which is near the junction with the Bath Road, into a single four-bed house.

The company, based in Marshfield, said natural light would be provided in all habitable rooms under the new proposals.

It said: “Care has been taken to ensure that the previous refusal reasons from the proposal to convert this office to four flats have been overcome in this application.”

Mace Systems said four off-street parking spaces at the rear of the building, which have served the site while it was being used as an office, would continue to be used as parking for the proposed house.

“There would be no material change to the type of traffic accessing the site and using the parking area,” it said.

Mace Systems bought the premises in 2015. The previous occupiers were WPC Software.

Keynsham Town Council’s planning committee had formally objected to the previous planning application for four flats, saying that small office space should be retained in this “employment nucleus” of the town.

But the committee, at its meeting last month, resolved to support the latest application for a single house, saying there were no planning reasons to oppose it.