IT is a case of ‘business as usual’ for Minehead’s old hospital building after a deadline for bids to buy it passed last week.

Retired consulting engineer Bill Howard decided to sell the iconic town centre property last year and set a February 17 deadline for offers of £800,000.

However, Mr Howard told the Free Press not enough sufficiently robust or realistic interest had been shown in taking over the former hospital.

Mr Howard said: “We are now thinking over the feedback we received from the exercise and will carry on as we have been for the time being.

“The property is still on the market while we do so.”

The grade two listed building in The Avenue has been used as a hub for community activities during the seven-year ownership of Mr Howard, including by Gateway Events and Minehead Connect.

Gateway Events, chaired by former town mayor Paul Bolton, was among the parties interested in bidding for the old hospital.

However, Mr Bolton said the group had so far been unable to raise enough funds to do so.

Mr Bolton said it was a ‘catch 22’ situation where the charity needed to have a long lease or freehold possession of the building to be able to attract major funding, but needed the money to be able to acquire possession.

He said: “For us to own the building would be the ideal solution because that opens up lots of funding opportunities to carry out the rest of the building work.

“At the moment, as we make money from room lets it goes back into the building and we fix up another room and then rent that out, and so on.”

Mr Bolton said anybody wanting to help Gateway Events save the old hospital could contact town Cllr Toni Bloomfield either by using her email [email protected] or calling her on 07538 838307.