The former home of B&M near Swindon town centre will be given a new lease of life.

In March, the bargains-based retailer moved from a unit on Ocotal Way into a larger space across the road that was once occupied by Go Outdoors.

The smaller, now-empty, unit in County Road Retail Park could soon be turned into a new gym.

The site's owner, Custodian Property Income, asked Swindon Borough Council for a Certificate of Lawfulness which would allow the building's interior to be changed without the need for a planning application to be submitted and approved.

The owner argued that the existing and proposed uses of the site fall within the same use class - Class E - and so the unit can be used for indoor sport, fitness, and recreation within this use class without planning permission.

The local authority approved this request, adding: "It is considered that the proposed use of a gymnasium at Unit 2... would not, as use within Class E(d), amount to a material change of use from Class E(a) (previously Class A1) use as retail/shop.

"The change of use would not therefore amount to development for which planning permission would be required and is lawful."