For more than twenty years, the Wansdyke Business Centre on Radstock Road had been a hive of activity, offering serviced offices and meeting rooms. Operated by Business West, but owned by B&NES Council, the building provided much needed affordable office space and helped to develop new business within Midsomer Norton.

Two years ago, B&NES Council decided it could run the building itself and took the property back under control, installing its own staff to look after the centre. Today, the difference is stark – while other serviced offices in the area are thriving, the Wansdyke Business Centre is reduced to less than 25% occupancy.

The staff that once manned the centre have disappeared, with the ground floor tenants now unofficially responsible for letting people in and out of the building – all of the tenants that moved with Business West have not been replaced. In fact, not one single office has been let to a new tenant since B&NES’ takeover, nor is there a way for prospective tenants to view the space. Rather than saving the Council money, this decision must surely be costing it money.

The picture today is a far cry from the major fanfare that graced the front page of The Journal back in February 2014. Whilst there has been a change of administration inbetween, the Lib Dems at that time were budgeting for a £1.3 million investment in the Business Centre.

As part of these plans, B&NES Council was due to undertake an ‘extensive feasibility study and business case’ to potentially double the centre and forecasted 100 new jobs for the town. Then Leader of B&NES Council, Lib Dem Cllr Paul Crossley, said: “the case for expansion must be watertight, but we are proposing to set aside money in the Cabinet budget proposal.”

So what happened to the £1.3 million? Was the feasibility study ever carried out? Recently there has been talk of boosting the local economy with the formation of the

Enterprise Zone, a huge piece of land stretching from Paulton to Farrington Gurney (next to a busy Business Centre at Paulton House, running since 2016). If B&NES Council is unable to manage a small business centre, which now has its lowest occupancy in more than twenty years, how will this major project fare?

Cllr Shaun Hughes (Independent, Midsomer Norton North) runs his business from the site. Sitting on a recent B&NES Policy and Scrutiny panel that was discussing Council staffing post-Covid, he enlightened fellow Councillors as to the very existence of the Business Centre.

Cllr Hughes told The Journal: “At a time when the Council have closed the offices in Lewis House, Bath, and are trying to accommodate staff elsewhere (we have staff working from their spare rooms) – it seems ridiculous to have a building full of empty offices – particularly when there is such an emphasis on reducing commuting and encouraging local business growth.

“Again, it seems to be an example of the Council not having any idea what’s happening outside of the city.”

The Council didn’t address the £1.3 million, nor if the feasibility study had been carried out, but they did have this to say. Councillor Richard Samuel, Deputy Leader and Cabinet Member for Economic Development and Resources, told The Journal: “We recognise that the Wansdyke Business Centre isn’t as well utilised as when it was first established, as other, newer, serviced office space has become available nearby.

“During the pandemic Bath & North East Somerset Council has prioritised maintaining existing tenant businesses in the centre over attracting new tenants, and we have ensured that these have retained full access to their offices at the centre during this period. The Council has also made available considerable support to local businesses and has helped up to 4,500 employers and businesses, including tenants at the Wansdyke Business Centre. We are also investing in the development of the Somer Valley Enterprise Zone, a 13 ha employment site creating 1,500 full-time-equivalent jobs and providing managed workspace for around 24 businesses.

“The Council is committed to securing the high-quality employment spaces the Somer Valley needs and we are currently looking at the best ways of doing this in the future, particularly in the light of the changing requirements of business and our recovery from the pandemic.”