A FORMER Minehead hotel will be given a new lease of life as accommodation for local homeless people if planners agree to a change of use for the building.

The YMCA Dulverton group has applied for the Edwardian-era Gascony Hotel on the corner of The Avenue and Tregonwell Road to be converted into self-contained and shared living space for the homeless.

The YMCA already owns the nearby Beach Hotel. The application to re-purpose the Gascony Hotel, which has been vacant and on the market for some time, will be considered by Somerset West and Taunton council’s planning committee later in the year.

Under the YMCA’s proposals, the ground floor would include one self-contained unit, one three- and one-four bedroom unit with shared kitchen facilities, an office and a meeting room where training could take place.

There would be a further eight bedrooms on the first floor and two on the second floor, with all bedrooms having en-suite bathrooms.

A spokesman for Zest Design Solutions Ltd, representing the applicant, said: “This property has been marketed for sale for a number of years.

“While a previous planning application has been approved for the conversion and extension of the property into residential dwellings, securing a developer to take on the project has remained elusive.

“The YMCA has identified the property as a candidate to provide much-needed accommodation in the area.”

For the full story, see this week’s West Somerset Free Press.