A planning application is in to turn the listed building on Bath Street at Number 17 into a number of flats. The application for the Grade II listed building, is to turn it into three two bed flats and two single bedroomed apartments.

The building, on the junction of Bath Street and Palmer Street, served for many years as the St. John's Ambulance centre but before that it has housed many different businesses. The application, under BKW Property states: " The changes are a fitting solution for a building that has been remodelled on numerous occasions."

The building went on the market in February this year.

Frome Town Council will be discussing the application, 2023/1880/LBC, at their next planning meeting on November 2 from 6:30pm.

Within the planning application there is a well documented history of the building:

" In 1713, when Nos. 16-17 Bath Street was leased to George Lock on a 99 year lease. The tenancy included himself, Edward Halliday a clothier, and Ann, wife of Joseph Baily a Frome butcher. It had previously been held by Richard Harebottle. The lease remained with the Lock and Baily families and their descendant until the mid 1800s. During that time, the properties were used for various purposes including shops, workshops and at one time the lease also included the adjacent public house, the Weymouth Arms, now the Old Bath Arms.

"The sources show that in in 1824, the lease including the range of buildings in Bath Street, adjoining the corner house, which were workshops, with a house on the ground floor. In 1837, the properties including the old workshops and corner house were let to the Board of Guardians of the Frome Union. The Board of Guardians was established in 1836 to administer the Poor Law, and its first task was to build the Union Workhouse, until recently known as Selwood Hospital.

"It is recorded that the Board implemented a series of alterations to the Site when they took on the lease to repair and adapt them. In 1870, the Site was leased directly to the Guardians of the Poor for 21 years and it continued to be the Board's offices until October 1891, prior to their relocation to the newly built Public Offices in Christchurch St. West.

"In 1899, the Longleat Estate sold the Site, describing it as a double fronted residence, High School for Girls, let to Miss BROCK at £20 a year. It was bought by the Frome United Breweries for £555, the brewery also bought the adjoining Bath Arms in Palmer Street. The sources indicate that in 1930 the Site became the Tax, Customs and Excise offices and it was probably at this time that a considerable restructuring of the buildings was undertaken. Aerial photographs taken in 1930 show the Site was it had been prior to those works and alterations and it was distinctly two properties. "