DISTRICT planners have cleared the way for the Benares Hotel in Minehead's Northfield Road to be demolished and replaced with a three-story block of 13 luxury apartments.

According to its owners, the hotel is to be sold because of the effect of cheaper foreign package holidays on the tourist industry.

The property has been taken over by Nelson Securities who, West Somerset District Council's planning committee was told, had already received enquiries concerning the flats from potential buyers.

Nelson Securities wants to knock down the hotel and build from scratch because the existing building is considered unsuitable for conversion and would not meet building, environmental and health regulations.

Vehicular access to the site will remain unchanged with car parking space at the end of a driveway running parallel to Northfield Road.

The district council investigated the possible loss of tourism and employment opportunities for Minehead and the effect of the flats on the general character of the area and on neighbouring residents.

Planning chiefs received letters of objection which argued that the flats would pose an adverse impact on neighbouring properties, that the construction would damage the shared driveway and that it would set a precedent.

Planning officer Nigel Furze said it was important to ensure that the development was sympathetic to the scale and layout of the buildings and spaces nearby.

He added: "Also consideration should be given to the siting of buildings, materials and its overall design.

"The scheme is very much based on the existing layout in terms of positioning the building at the back of the site and leaving the landscaped frontage largely untouched.

"Furthermore, the architects have materially improved the overall presentation of the scheme, together with correcting certain mistakes on the drawings."

Mr Furze said that, as far as Minehead's economy was concerned, the benefits far outweighed those lost from the closure of the hotel while the value of neighbouring properties would rise.

Architect Adrian Mitchell said the tourism market in Britain had nose-dived in recent years and the holiday season was very short.

"Benares Hotel, like many coastal hotels, can no longer continue as a viable business. No matter how nice it is for Benares to remain as a pleasant well-appointed hotel, this is simply not possible any longer.

"The demand for hotel accommodation of this type is rapidly diminishing when travel to foreign parts with guaranteed sun every day is generally cheaper and more sought after than accommodation in UK seaside towns, where rain rather than sun is guaranteed."