Abandoned South Somerset hotel to be reconstructed into new apartment block
A derelict hotel is set to be redeveloped after plans for new homes and a commercial unit to replace it have been approved by South Somerset District Council.
The White Horse Hotel, on Wincanton’s Highstreet in South Somerset, is set to be converted into 13 one and two-bedroom flats. Plans were put forward by White Hive Ltd although the Theale-based developer has not specified what sort of company will end up occupying the historic building.
Declared as bankrupt in 2015, the hotel has been empty ever since and due to it being neglected, it is now in a poor state of repair.
South Somerset District Council originally intended to upgrade the grade two-star listed building – which dates back to 1655 – as part of its Wincanton regeneration programme that was formally scaled back in February 2022.
After the hotel has been left to sit empty for eight years parts of the building have been falling into the road putting the public at risk which is another reason councillors have urged work to reconstruct the building to begin.
Cllr Colin Winder, a representative for Wincanton, said: ‘There is more masonry falling off the front onto the road. There has been a lot of talk and no action. This is an ongoing problem and a danger to the public. When are we going to take some action?’.
In the area, Wincanton was one of the three towns in South Somerset which were prioritised for regeneration – the others being Chard and Yeovil. The local authority committed £2m of capital funding towards the town in January 2020, with the original budget topping out at £5,673,000 – this included a possible stake in the redevelopment of the White Horse.
In February 2022 councillors voted to cut over £3m from the budget after the building was sold to a private developer, claiming at the time it no longer required ‘public intervention’. All remaining projects within the Wincanton regeneration scheme – including improvements to the public realm – were paused in January due to the financial travails of the new unitary Somerset Council, which takes control on 1st April.
Image: Jeriden Villegas