WEST Somerset Council’s planning committee was recommended yesterday (Thursday) to give the go-ahead for Minehead’s £2.1 million old hospital project.

The plan is to convert the near-derelict building into an ambitious community hub and restore it to its former glory.

But the project has been largely at a standstill since a split with former partners Minehead Development Trust in May and the formation of a community interest company which is planned to run the project in the future.

“This is a real milestone in our journey to bring the building back to life,” joint owner Bill Howard told the Free Press.

“I must thank council planning officers for their help and support and we are very optimistic about the future.

“We are looking at avenues of funding and should be able to crack on with converting the rear of the building into a community hub in the not too distant future.”

Officers were recommending approval for a change of use from a community hospital to a community hub with accommodation for over a dozen organisations, plus four flats.

The proposed conversion will take place in six phases, including the restoration of the front part of the 128-year-old listed building back to the original assembly rooms with its period staircases.

But officers have imposed a list of conditions which include :

l Approval of access to the site and paved areas.

l Approval of all new joinery and a glass-enclosed bridge.

l Flood risk measures which include residential accommodation on the first floor and controlled ground floor usage.

l Approval of demolition of buildings on the boundary of the hospital and the nearby Methodist church.

l Safeguarding the character and appearance of the building under the provisions of the local plan.

In a report on Mr Howard’s proposals, planning officer Elizabeth Peeks said that two buildings at the rear of the premises – the former police station and nurses’ home – would be converted into four flats.

The community hub, also in the buildings, would include a café and kitchen, a reception/meet and greet area, toilets, showers and changing areas, and an assembly room on the first floor which would involve the removal of the second floor to restore the room to its full height.

Ms Peek said that no specific uses had been allocated to other parts of the building but the applicants had developed user relationships with numerous organisations.

These include Minehead and West Somerset councils, the police, Minehead Information Centre, Foxes catering academy and music, dance and keep-fit groups.

Six part-time jobs would be created.