Land next to a Somerset day centre is to be sold off by the county council to allow a new development of 24 homes to be built.

Dimensions runs the Colliers Court facility within the Marston Trading Estate in Frome, as part of its wider contract with Somerset County Council.

The Stonewater housing association has applied to Mendip District Council to build 24 new homes on vacant land behind the day care, with access being from Cherry Grove.

To enable these new low-cost homes to be delivered, the county council has agreed to sell off the vacant land, with the proceeds being reinvested in front-line services.

Each of the new homes will be built to passivhaus standards, meaning they will be created using relatively low-carbon construction methods and be designed to reduce heat loss, making them cheaper to run.

Of the 24 homes planned, eight will be affordable, meeting the district council's target of 30 per cent affordable housing for any new development of ten homes or more.

In addition to providing 55 car parking spaces for the new homes, Stonewater will create a number of new car parking spaces for the Cherrytrees nursing home at the northern edge of the site.

A spokesman for Boon Brown Architects (representing the applicant) said: "The site leads onto Rossiter's Road which has immediate access onto both the B3090 and the B3092, which run directly toward Frome town centre.

"With the town centre and industrial estate in close proximity, the site provides residents with easy access to a variety of job opportunities and amenities.

"The site also benefits from being a short walk to local facilities such as Victoria Park, Frome railway station and local supermarkets."

The land was first acquired by the council in 1972, with Colliers Court being delivered in 1977 and Cherrytrees being constructed in 2003.

Dimensions is currently using half of Colliers Court to deliver its services, with the other half being used as a dental access centre for people struggling to obtain NHS dental services.

Charlie Field, the county council's strategic estates manager, said the council would not be needing this site to deliver any of its services in the Frome area in the foreseeable future.

He said in his written report: "We are committed to evaluating and rationalising our surplus property and land portfolio, where appropriate and practicable, in order to reduce costs and achieve capital receipts.

"Our corporate property team has declared this property surplus as there is no immediate or projected future operational need to deliver services from it.

"The option for the council to obtain planning permission on the land and then sell it with this attached was considered.

"This would likely lead to a higher capital receipt but would also raise the cost of sale considerably."

The county council has not divulged how much it hopes to sell the land for, citing commercial sensitivity.

The district council is expected to make a decision on the Stonewater housing plans before Christmas.