Somerset nuclear bunker could be turned into holiday home

A former Cold War nuclear bunker could be turned into a holiday home.

Neil McCallum has applied for planning permission to turn a bunker in Holford, Somerset, into a holiday let.

The nuclear bunker is one of 1,500 of its kind constructed in the 1950s to provide emergency shelter.

If given the go-ahead, it will accommodate two people on single fold-down beds and include a kitchen, toilet, shower room and patio area.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, most of the Cold War bunkers in the UK were decommissioned in the late-1960s.

Some remained in active use until the USSR's collapse in December 1991.

Mr McCallum intends to expose the bunker on the northern and western sides and partially extend it, installing solar panels to provide energy for heating and lighting.

A spokesman for Shattock Associates, representing Mr McCallum, said: "The concealed bunker will be accessed via a new stair built within the proposed lightwell.

"The bunker will be used as a retreat by the applicant, but will also be available to rent by like-minded holiday-makers."

Somerset West and Taunton Council is expected to make a decision on the plans by 31 March.

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