THE Co-op supermarket and Post Office in Minehead town centre are to close in a matter of weeks.

The shock announcement comes four months after a refusal of plans to redevelop the store site in The Avenue.

McCarthy Stone wanted to demolish the supermarket and build a block of 35 apartments through to Summerland Avenue at the rear of the site.

The redevelopment plans also included a much smaller Co-op convenience store, but the Post Office would not have been replaced.

Minehead's town centre Co-op and Post Office are closing.
Minehead's town centre Co-op and Post Office are closing. (Tindle News)

However, Somerset Council planners said the plans failed to reflect the character of the town centre and the appearance of the new store would have been ‘incongruous’.

Now, the Co-op has announced its closure as a result of the failed planning application.

A spokesperson said: “Co-op remains committed to serving the Minehead community through our Alcombe store

“However, we have made the difficult decision to close our store on The Avenue, following the refusal of a planning application to redevelop the site to include a purpose-built and sustainable new store.

“Our priority is to fully support The Avenue store colleagues, and we would like to thank the community for its continued support for the Co-op in the town.”

Rumour has it that Minehead Post Office may move into the Queens Hall on the sea front but there has been no official word one way or the other.
Rumour has it that Minehead Post Office may move into the Queens Hall on the sea front but there has been no official word one way or the other. (Tindle News)

The Co-op is expected to shut its doors by the middle of June, in just eight weeks’ time.

It has given notice to the Post Office, which has been on a rolling contract since the redevelopment plans were first announced two years ago.

Rumours have been circulating that the Post Office was considering relocating to the sea front Queens Hall building, a little more than a third of a mile walk from the town centre.

The Free Press approached the Post Office for comment but has not yet received a response.

If Minehead loses its Post Office branch, the nearest postal services would be two-and-a-half miles away in Dunster.

How a new Co-op convenience store could look in The Avenue, Minehead.
A McCarthy Stone illustration of how a new Co-op convenience store could have looked in The Avenue, Minehead, if its redevelopment plans had been approved. (McCarthy Stone)

Somerset Cllr Andy Hadley, one of two representing Minehead on the unitary council, said it had been known for some time that the Co-op wanted to redevelop its town centre site.

Cllr Hadley said the main concern was the potential loss of the town’s only Post Office.

He said: “It is imperative that we regain a Post Office in Minehead, not only for the residents but also for the many businesses that now use it for banking following the closure of several banks.

“Minehead does not have many locations the Post Office can use, so I think any that come forward is plus for the town.”