A BUSINESS unit that was destroyed by fire will soon be rising from the ashes after plans were approved.

Fire crews were called out to Leach Road within the Chard Business Park in the early hours of February 25 after a fire started at the PMBL battery manufacturer.

The unit has lain vacant and scorched since this incident, with Crescent Holdings Ltd. applying in late-October for permission to demolish the structure and replace the unit.

Somerset Council has now given the green light to these plans, with demolition and reconstruction expected to begin some time after Christmas.

The fire, which fortunately resulted in no human casualties, left the building “unstable” and the roof being almost completely consumed, with fire engines from eight different stations attending to put out the blaze.

In addition to the commercial space, the fire destroyed the community space used by Chard Tae Kwon-Do, which has since relocated to the second floor of Buck House Academy on Holyrood Street.

Under the approved plans, the building will be replaced with one of identical size and external appearance, but with more modern insulation, reducing heating building for any new tenant.

Because the building is a like-for-like replacement and will not be used for overnight accommodation, the developer will not need to prevent any phosphate mitigation.

The plans were approved through the delegated powers of the council’s planning officers, rather than a public decision by its planning committee south (which handles major applications in the former South Somerset area).

Planning officer Anna Jotcham said the plans were “considered acceptable and well-related to the surrounding units”.

Construction of the new unit is expected to begin early in the new year.