One of Frome's main employment sites will be able to expand following approval by district councillors.

Rockhaven Developments Ltd. applied to build a new warehouse and 61 business units, arranged in nine blocks, on Malthouse Lane at the southern end of the Commerce Park in Frome, off the A361.

Mendip District Council's planning board deferred a decision on the plans in April to allow the developer to address local residents' concerns regarding noise and the kinds of businesses which would end up occupying the units.

Three months on, the board voted unanimously to approve the plans when it met in Shepton Mallet on Wednesday evening (July 20).

The new buildings (collectively dubbed the Malthouse Lane Business Centre) will be constructed at the end of Cornbrash, near the existing bases of Primavera and Acheson & Acheson.

The nine business unit blocks will be laid out near the existing junction with Cornbrash, with a turning circle or mini-roundabout providing a link to the main warehouse at the southern end of the site, which will be split into two sections.

The site lies a short distance from the existing residential properties on Compton Gardens and Croscombe Gardens, as well as the Bristol to Weymouth railway line.

Under the new proposals, the site can only be used for offices, storage, distribution or other light industrial uses which do not result in significant noise or pollution – with night-time lorry movements (including deliveries) being completely prohibited.

Thomas Hill, chairman of the Coalway Lane Residents' Association, welcomed the "significant changes" which had been made since the plans were deferred in April.

Councillor Adam Boyden, who represents the adjoining Frome College ward, added: "There's been a suite of improvements to address the problems we all identified the last time this came to the board.

"The solar panels addresses our sustainability concerns – it's nice to see 25 per cent of electricity can be generated on site.

"It does show to me the value of deferring and raising objections to things that could be looked at again, because they've gone away and done that."

As part of the revised proposals, the developer will enhance the Coalway Lane footpath, which runs from the nearby Southgate area of the business park around the back of the new units to the existing homes on Pensford Way.

Mr Boyden welcomed this, adding: "We need to make sure that people can go to work here without having to drive all the way around the bypass.

"You can't walk on that bypass – you'd have to walk through that muddy, dark Coalway Lane from Pensford Way. If you're fit and healthy and fast, yes – you can do it, but everybody else is very put off by that.

"The improvements are going to encourage more people to walk and cycle to work from Frome, which is more sustainable – which is what we want."

The plans were unanimously approved by the board after less than 20 minutes' debate.