Frome will be getting a new B&Q store after plans to convert an existing business unit were approved.

The retailer applied in June to create a new outlet by converting the former Jewsons branch on Station Approach.

Mendip District Council has now approved these proposals – meaning DIY enthusiasts will no longer have to drive to Glastonbury or Trowbridge to get supplies.

The new store will create up to 25 new jobs and could open early next year if construction begins in the coming weeks.

The Jewsons store has been vacant for two units following the company's relocation to Manor Way within the Marston Trading Estate.

Jake Tubb of RPS Group (representing B&Q) said: "The application site is a sustainable location, and the proposals seek to re-use an existing accessible brownfield site and premises adjacent to Frome railway station.

"Frome does not currently benefit from a B&Q store. The nearest accessible B&Q store is situated at Trowbridge, approximately a 20 minute car journey away.

"The application proposals will therefore help to create more sustainable patterns of shopping for DIY goods."

Mr Tubb confirmed the new store would create up to 25 new jobs, and all 22 existing car parking spaces will be retained.

While the site is not allocated for employment use within the council's Local Plan, Mr Tubb said it had "a long history of use as a builders' merchant" and the new store would not negatively impact the town centre.

He added: "The re-use of the former builders' merchant premises by B&Q, involving the resumption of the sale of DIY and related goods, can occur without harm to the town centre or the proposed scheme of redevelopment at Saxonvale and the Westway Centre."

The plans were approved by the council's planning officers through delegated powers, rather than being discussed in public by the planning board.

B&Q has not indicated how soon work on the new store will begin, but it is likely the new branch will be open some time in early-2022.