A DEVELOPER has been given the go ahead to create six new homes in premises that housed part of the former Taunton Police Station.

Planners at Somerset Council have granted conditional approval for the scheme that involves converting a terrace building in Burton Place.

The former Somerset West and Taunton Council had previously been minded to grant permission for the development of the listed buildings.

But councillors put their decision on hold due to the phosphates pollution issue on the Somerset Levels.

READ MORE: Plans to convert former police station building into homes.

The developer Photinia has now received permission from Somerset Council after the company agreed to pay for ‘nutrient neutral’ credits to ensure the phosphates do not have a negative impact on the Levels.

The terraced properties on Burton Place will be converted into two one-bedroom, one two-bedroom and three three-bedroom accommodation.

No parking will be provided on site due to the proximity to the town centre.

READ MORE: Taunton Police Station closes in 2018.

The old Taunton Police Station, in Shuttern and Burton Place, closed in December 2018, with officers and staff relocating to new offices in the Deane House council premises in Belvedere Road.

The listed buildings, which had a 250-year connection with law and order, were deemed too large for the police base in the county town since most officers and support staff transferred to a custody and investigation centre in Bridgwater in September 2014.

They had also become impractical and in need of considerable investment, with some of the premises originally forming part of the town jail in the 1750s.