TAUNTON Deane Council's plant nursery is to be relocated in a move costing almost £500,000.

Bosses say the transfer will allow the service to pick up more money-spinning contracts.

The authority has bought a two-storey house and land on Stoke Road, Taunton, for £450,000 to enable the move from its existing site off Mount Street.

A Deane spokeswoman said: "The next course of action will be for the Council to submit a planning application for a nursery at the Stoke Road site.

"A full traffic assessment is currently being undertaken on the area around the current site at Mount Street and as yet no decisions have been made to the future development of the site.

"The final use of the site cannot be determined until the work on the traffic assessment is complete."

The nursery has recently won other local authority contracts, including for East Devon District and Tiverton Town Councils.

The spokeswoman added: "In order to expand, modernise and win further contracts from authorities across the South-West, the council identified the need to relocate."

Plants supplied by the nursery have helped Taunton and Wellington scoop a number of Britain in Bloom awards in recent years.