Former Weston snooker centre approved as healthcare facility

The building on Sunnyside Road North, formerly home to Frames Snooker Centre, will become a day-care treatment centre under proposals submitted by Mr Michael Radford, of Somerset Surgical Services.

The site also includes disused squash courts and gym facilities, while North Somerset Council's planning officer described the existing building as having been "vacant and underutilised for some time".

Under the plans brought by Somerset Surgical Services, the centre will offer a range of healthcare services including operating theatres, endoscopy, outpatient care, pre-operative and recovery suites and physiotherapy, as well as supporting facilities.

Inside, the building is planned to include reception and waiting areas, consultation and treatment rooms, staff facilities and accessible toilets.

Plans also show pre-operation and recovery wards, with access to an operating theatre and separate preparation rooms for endoscopy facilities.

Council planners welcomed the opportunity to put the former leisure building to a new use. The officer's report said: "The existing building has been vacant and underutilised for some time and currently makes a limited contribution to the surrounding area."

It added: "The proposal would bring the building back into beneficial, productive use through a change of use and limited alterations."

Planners also said the healthcare centre would create a number of full-time and part-time employment opportunities, as well as other economic benefits to the local area.

Weston Town Council supported the application when it considered the scheme in April, although some concern was raised by a neighbouring business about the storage of medical waste. The approved plans identify the clinical waste as locked, with bins fitted with lids.

Council officers concluded those measures should provide appropriate control and that the development was unlikely to have an unacceptable impact on neighbouring properties, public health or the surrounding environment.

Highways officers raised no objection, and the existing vehicle access from Sunnyside Road North will remain.

The centre's proposed operating hours are 7am to 8pm. The site previously had permission for nine three-storey homes allowing demolition of the existing buildings, but the latest scheme instead keeps and repurposes the current structures at the site.

Approving the application subject to conditions, the council concluded that the scheme would provide "a valuable community healthcare facility", while bringing an underused building back into productive use.