SMALL businesses in Bruton will receive a big boost after the coronavirus pandemic after revised plans for a new rural enterprise centre were approved.

Somerset County Council intends to build the centre to provide more than 350 sq m of flexible office space for small and medium enterprises.

The facility, on council-owned land at Burrowfield on the A359 Frome Road, will cost nearly £1.6M to build, with just under half of the funding coming from the European Union.

South Somerset District Council has now given the go-ahead for revised plans for the facility, meaning construction can begin in the near-future.

The district council approved the original plans for the centre in July 2019, consisting of a single-storey “multiple occupancy office hub building” and seven light industrial units, with new access from the A359.

The revised plans – which amend the layout of the site and the positioning of roof lights and solar panels – were discussed by the council’s area east committee at a virtual meeting on Wednesday (May 13).

The office hub building will include ten self-contained officers, two meeting rooms, one large studio and kitchen facilities.

A county council spokesman said: “The development of an enterprise centre, consisting of office accommodation and lightweight industrial units, will contribute to the local area in terms of providing local employment.

“It will provide a sound basis for contributing to the local economy and will endeavour small businesses to grow.”

A total of £1,559,940 is available for the construction of the centre – of which £712,886 will come from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), with the remaining £847,054 being match funded by the county council.

Ewan Jones from Bruton Town Council said: “The provision of light industrial units and office space in Bruton should be welcomed.

“This has proved to be even more important as we seek to come out of coronavirus lockdown, where we will be needing more and more local employment.

“This will provide business accommodation for people to walk and cycle to within the town.”

Councillor Lucy Trimnell, who represents the Bruton ward, said she was unhappy with the loss of the timber cladding, in favour of materials being used on the other centres under construction in Wells and Wiveliscombe.

She said: “We have a responsibility to as much as possible ensure that this building blends in with the surrounding area – more than we do to the two towns which are so far from Bruton, nobody would know those buildings existed there.

“A significant building on the same side of the road as this is newly-built homes and workshops, both of which are timber-clad.”

The committee voted to approve the amended plans (with the timber cladding restored) by a majority of seven votes to none, with five abstentions.