A landmark Chippenham building by the Little George roundabout is to be given a new lease of life.

A new restaurant is to open on the ground floor of the Bridge Brasserie, and the two upstairs floors will be turned into six apartments.

The Little George Hotel was rebuilt in 1903 after being destroyed by fire and its ground floor was refurbished after the building changed hands in 2012.

It has been empty since the Bridge Brasserie closed in September, and it has now emerged it will reopen as another restaurant.

It is being let by Chippenham’s Huw Thomas Commercial, which is asking an annual rent of £25,000, but the company was not able to say at this time from whom.

Huw Thomas said: “It will be leased as an ongoing restaurant. A deal has been agreed and it is in lawyers’ hands now. The terms were agreed about two weeks ago.”

Chris Bonsor and Steve Smith ran the Bridge Brasserie there for 18 months after moving from smaller premises in New Road now occupied by Pizza Hut.

Mr Bonsor, president of Chippenham Chamber of Commerce, said: “I’m pleased it’s been re-let and will stay as a restaurant. The building has a lot of traffic going past it; you can’t drive into town from the motorway without going past, so it’ll be good to see it freshened up again.”

Meanwhile last Tuesday Tee Read Construction Ltd, of Corsham, was awarded planning permission and listed building consent to turn the first and second floors into apartments – three one-bedroom and three two-bedroom.

Its plans include new vehicular access off New Road, just off Park Lane, with an exit on to the B4069 just before it becomes New Road.

According to Land Development Planning Consultants, the large room and toilets on the first floor were part of the Little George public area during the 1990s, but had fallen into a very poor state of repair.