A prominent Somerset hotel will get a new lease of life after plans for new homes and a commercial unit were approved.

The White Horse on Wincanton's High Street has been derelict for a number of years and is now in a poor state of repair after its previous owner was declared bankrupt in 2015.

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, which was formally scaled back in February 2022.

The council has now granted permission for changes to be made to the building to protect its structure and allow new homes and a commercial unit to be delivered within its footprint.

This comes after a local councillor urged the new owners to take action after reports of masonry falling into the road and putting the public at risk.

Wincanton was one of three towns in South Somerset which were prioritised for regeneration – the others being Chard and Yeovil.

The council committed £2m of capital funding towards the town in January 2020, with the original budget topping out at £5,673,000 – which included a possible stake in the redevelopment of the White Horse.

Councillors voted in February 2022 to cut £3,280,764 from the regeneration budget after the building was sold to a private developer, claiming at the time that it "no longer requires public intervention".

All remaining projects within the Wincanton regeneration scheme – including improvements to the public realm – were "paused" in January in light of the financial travails of the new unitary Somerset Council, which takes control on April 1.

The newly-approved plans, put forward by White Hive Ltd, will see the historic structure converted into 13 one- and two-bedroom flats across its three floors.

A small commercial unit will be created on the ground floor – though the Theale-based developer has not indicated what sort of company will end up occupying it.

Councillor Colin Winder, who represents Wincanton, said work needed to begin urgently to ensure the building was secured and the public were protected.

He said: "There is more masonry falling off the front on to 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?"

The building is currently on Historic England's 'at risk' register, and lies within the Wincanton conservation area – meaning any development must respect the character of the existing architecture.

A council spokesman said: "The benefits of bringing a grade two-star listed building on the High Street back into use… is a highly important consideration.

"The proposed uses of the building are the most viable option for bringing the building into re-use and the various proposed structural and other alterations would help ensure the long-term conservation of this important heritage asset."