PLANS have been submitted to turn a vacant industrial unit into a new vet practice in Poole.

The scheme for 15 Newton Business Park in Poole will see the unit, which has been empty for five years, transformed into a new veterinary practice.

The application for a change of use has been made by The Vet - Quality Pet Care Ltd - which has a number of other vet clinics across the UK.

The business aims to provide excellent veterinary healthcare for pets at a low cost.

Inside the building, the proposal includes plans for a waiting area, consulting rooms, an operating theatre, x-ray facility, preparation room and wards.

A planning statement also says the surgery is designed to accommodate a high volume of customers.

It adds: "The applicant has found at its other sites that it is receiving more and more cases after 8pm, and therefore requires opening hours until midnight.

"Therefore the site is proposed to be open 7am to midnight. It is considered this should only have a

minimal impact, if any, on surrounding area, by virtue of: the small number of staff operating from the site; the relatively small numbers of visitors; and the service will be provided within the existing building which contains any noise or disturbance."

There will be 12 full-time employees.