PLANS to turn one of Minehead's most prominent seafront buildings into a flagship training hotel for young people were this week hailed as "inspirational" as funding was secured to create 36 affordable homes within the development.

The YMCA unveiled ambitious proposals for the Beach Hotel last month and revealed it had successfully bid for a £1 million Government grant to help 16 to 24-year-olds in the district.

And on Wednesday, West Somerset Council agreed to give £323,000 in "planning gain" money to the association to pay for 36 units of "move on" accommodation for local young people.

Martin Hodgson, the chief executive of the Somerset Coast branch of the YMCA, said the homes would be solely for the use of West Somerset's young people.

Speaking at the council's meeing on Wednesday he said: "This facility is for the people of West Somerset, not for the people of Bridgwater or Yeovil to be shipped in. It is for West Somerset.

"We are very excited about it and it will add significant value to Minehead and West Somerset as a whole."

The YMCA already runs a hostel for young people in Tregonwell Road but has nowhere to house residents once they have 'outgrown' that.

The affordable flats at the Beach Hotel will enable those young people to take another step forward by giving them their own front door within a more discretely supported environment.

The YMCA's plans for the hotel would also offer them training, education and employment opportunities as part of a partnership with West Somerset Community College.

Alongside the 36 flats, the hotel would retain 14 letting rooms for paying guests, a dining room, meeting and conference facilities and kitchen.

There would be jobs and apprenticeships for a chef, restaurant manager, front-of-house and waiting staff, plus the opportunity to train for catering, business, maintenance and housekeeping qualifications.

The flats themselves would include eight student bedrooms, supported accommodation and both backpacker and school trip facilities.

Councillors were told that while the Government grant would cover staffing and revenue costs to support the hotel operation in the initial start-up phase, the planning gain cash would help pay for the conversion of the affordable homes.

"The YMCA's proposals include a long-term business plan to regenerate the site to a 21st century model to provide flexible accommodation for differing and sustainable purposes," said the organisation in a report on the scheme.

"This would be while maintaining the traditional established use of a hotel and restaurant, retaining all of the existing dining and catering facilities on the ground floor, as well as to provide a cafe atmosphere and heritage function opening out onto the existing frontage opposite the railway station.

"The project will take the form of a training and skills partnership with the West Somerset Community College that supports the operation of the hotel functions and to develop wider training and collaboration opportunities at the venue for the community of Minehead.

"The hotel development provides a unique and very exciting opportunity.

"Trainees will be offered high quality provision by college staff based at the hotel and at the college.

"It will also allow vulnerable young people, unemployed and those looking to up-skill the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills in the real working environment."

Councillors were told there could be scope to eventually provide hair and beauty services at the hotel to enable Minehead to become a "spa destination".

Cllr Keith Turner, the district council's lead member for housing, described the proposals as one of the most exciting projects West Somerset had seen for a long time.

"By putting this money into one big project we will be getting really good value for money," he said.

"Nowhere else will you get 36 units of accommodation for that sort of money."

He told the meeting the £323,000 had come from McCarthy and Stone's development at The Parks and had to be used specifically for affordable housing.

Cllr Doug Ross said he welcomed any scheme which helped young people, while Cllr Mandy Chilcott said she hoped the Beach Hotel could become a flagship for similar schemes across the country.

"This is inspiring. It is very rare you come across a project like this," she said.

"We have homeless children in West Somerset and this project is giving them a real chance to get gainful employment and move forward.

"The £323,000 will lever in £1 million into West Somerset - I think it's a no brainer.

"It is a landmark building, but what a building it will be for the YMCA."

Councillors agreed to allocate the money to the project subject to the YMCA successfully securing planning permission to change the use of the building.

The Beach Hotel has been boarded up since the end of last year and Mr Hodgson said the YMCA's plans had been well received around the town.

"I think we have the overriding support of our close neighbours and they are enthusiastic about what we can provide," he said.

The accommodation would not be for young people on benefits but aimed at those who are "engaged" in either jobs, training or education.

Young tenants would also receive pastoral support while living at the Beach, which Mr Hodgson stressed was a "social enterprise model" rather than a hostel.