A former bed-and-breakfast in Bridgwater will be used to provide much-needed one-bedroom accommodation after new plans were approved.

Homelessness charity Arc (formerly Taunton Action for the Homeless) applied to convert the former Tower House B&B at 27 Wembdon Hill in Bridgwater into an eight-bedroom house of multiple occupancy (HMO).

The property will be thoroughly refurbished, with four of the eight bedrooms being en suite and the kitchen and dining room being used for communal space.

Tower House lies opposite the junction with Provident Place and next to the northern entrance to Westover Green Community School.

It is also a short distance from The Quantock public house, which councillors agreed in March could expand despite neighbours’ concerns about noise.

Sarah Stillwell, the council’s housing and homeless service manager, said the new facility would help to meet the huge demand for one-bedroom accommodation in Bridgwater and reduce homelessness across the district.

She said: “52 per cent of our housing register is people seeking one-bedroom accommodation. There is a shortfall of over 1,000 such properties.

“In Sedgemoor we have been successful in reducing rough sleeping in recent years by 80 per cent, due to recent funding bids and the work we carried out under the government’s ‘Everyone In’ plan.

“A range of models are required in order to meet housing demand. The more available accommodation options, the better for the district and the better for the community.”

Arc currently operates Lindley House hostel on East Reach in Taunton town centre, which can house up to 40 people, along with 15 ‘satellite’ properties in Taunton and Bridgwater which house between five and 15 people each.

Chief executive Andy Price said he wanted to reassure local residents that everything would be done to keep antisocial behaviour and other problems to an absolute minimum.

He said: “We have an extensive track record of working with people who might otherwise be sleeping on the street to turn their lives around and move on to more permanent accommodation.

“This is not emergency accommodation – there will not be a high turnover [of people]. Anticipated stays will be six, 12 or 18 months.

“Tower House will be well-staffed by skilled, experienced support and pathway workers. All the people housed there will be local people – they are living in the community, though some may be sleeping in shop doorways or parks.

“We will listen and work with our neighbours and the wider community to overcome any problems and concerns that may arise.”

Sedgemoor District Council’s development committee voted unanimously to approve the plans when they met on Monday morning (September 26).