Revised plans for the Palace nightclub building Chippenham

Construction work is already underway at the Palace building, on Station Hill in Chippenham, to convert the former nightlife venue into 13 residential flats.

The plans were approved in 2022 but now developers New Millenium Developments Ltd have lodged a revised application with the council to remove certain planning conditions.

If approved, this would see the plans for the ongoing scheme altered after a strip out of the building showed more of the existing structure could be incorporated into the new designs.

Specifically, more of the current fabric of the roof and external walls will be retained under the latest proposal.

Chippenham Town Council registered support for this element of the scheme at a planning committee meeting.

The Palace building, Chippenham (Image: Newsquest)

A spokesperson said: “This revised scheme is an improvement on the previously approved scheme as the existing fabric of the roof and external walls are to be retained with only new openings created where necessary.

“The building is designated as a Building of Local Merit in the Draft Chippenham Neighbourhood Plan.

“The revised scheme would be a much more sensitive solution for re-purposing the building for residential use and is supported.”

Under both sets of plans, the existing façade will be retained leaving the appearance of the building, which has stood on Station Hill for more than 100 years, “largely unaltered.”

The residential scheme will see the property transformed into 11 one-bedroom flats and a further two two-bedroom units.

Prior to these plans, the Palace building had a long history as a nightlife venue in Chippenham.

The site was originally a roller rink and cinema, under the name The Electric, and showed films as early as 1910.

The Palace building, Chippenham (Image: Newsquest)

For over 20 years it operated as the Palace Theatre before the venue was closed in 1936.

It later became the Chippenham Royal Snooker Club and was rebranded as a nightclub several times after the business moved to the Ivy Road Industrial Estate.

The venue was known as Buds 2000 nightclub for 14 years before it was renamed Karma, following a £1.3 refurbishment by new owners in 2008.

This venture lasted just three years as Karma had its license revoked in 2011.

The building later reopened briefly as The Palace.

It most recently housed cocktail bar Tantra downstairs, and nightclub SN15 upstairs, before shutting for the final time several years ago.

Developers say reopening the venue for commercial or leisure use would be “unviable in the current climate.”