SOMERSET Council has rubber stamped planning approval for the controversial refurbishment of a cafe in Minehead’s Blenheim Gardens.

The plans were approved in March at the final meeting of Somerset West and Taunton Council’s (SWT) planning committee before the authority was abolished.

But councillors said at the time the decision was subject to leaseholder William Wynn providing a revised plan within 15 working days to include a disabled ramp access to the cafe from the gardens.

They said a failure to meet the condition would mean the application was deemed to be refused.

Although a plan for disabled access was submitted within the 15-day condition, it was rejected by council officers as unsuitable.

However, former SWT planning officer Russell Williams, now a development manager with the new unitary council, said councillors did not stipulate the additional plan had to be acceptable, just that a plan had to be submitted.

Mr Williams said the rejected plan therefore met the condition and it did not mean the cafe restoration had to be refused.

Now, three months later, officers have accepted a revised plan for the disabled access from the park and the council has formally sealed the planning approval for the cafe.

The landmark cafe in the six-acre Edwardian park had fallen intro disrepair after being closed in 2018.

Mr Wynn took a 20-year lease from SWT on condition he improved the building and reopened it by April 1 this year – which he did.

It became controversial when residents objected to some of the detail of the new-look cafe, such as its windows and the fact that disabled access was only proposed from a car park at the rear of the property, which would mean people had to leave the park and make their way around to the access.

Objections were also made to proposed daily opening times of 7 am to 11 pm.

In granting permission, councillors restricted the cafe’s opening hours to times when the gardens were open to the public but no earlier than 8 am and no later than 8 pm.