A CONSULTATION opened on Tuesday (December 19) on long-awaited plans to build retirement flats in Minehead town centre.
McCarthy Stone wants to redevelop the Co-op supermarket and Post Office site in The Avenue once the premises closes.
An intention to close was announced by the Co-op two years ago when it said it had given 12 months’ notice to the Post Office.
Now, although no firm date for closure has yet been given, McCarthy Stone said it was ‘working up’ proposals for 35 one and two-bedroom flats.
The company also wants to include a 3,000 sq ft Co-op convenience store on the site with a frontage onto The Avenue, which would be set back to reduce overshadowing of the lane into the car park and to widen the pavement.
But public opposition via social media was quickly building a head of steam this week as local residents complained about the loss of town centre car parking and the ‘Zimmering’ of Minehead - a reference to an ageing population dependent on Zimmer frames to assist mobility.
Residents commented that Minehead needed more housing for local young people to live and work in the town, and believed The Avenue site was unsuitable for elderly tenants who woud find themselves living close to three noisy public houses.
McCarthy Stone said pre-application engagement with Somerset Council had been ‘positive’ and it intended to submit a planning application after taking into account feedback from the consultation.
Online consultation will run until January 19 and the proposals will also be on show in a public exhibition in the Northfield Hotel, Minehead, on Tuesday, January 16, from 4 pm to 7 pm.
A spokesperson said the new development would offer ‘high-quality retirement living apartments’ with private sale, part-rent, part-buy, and rental options.
The spokesperson said: “There is a significant need for this type of development both nationally and locally, and it is important that communities address the current and future needs of their residents.”
They said a Somerset strategic housing market assessment highlighted how growth in the population of older persons would be a key driver of change in the market over the next few years.
The assessment expected a notable increase in the older person population with the total number of people aged 65 years and older rising by 61 per cent in the 25 years to 2039, compared with overall population growth of 15 per cent and a modest increase in the under-65 population.
The spokesperson said typically, most McCarthy Stone residents moved from within a five-mile radius of new apartments, meaning The Avenue site could free up at least 70 family and starter homes in the area.
They said: “This residential shift would allow younger people and families in Minehead the opportunity to move into their ideal home, while relieving pressure on developing local greenfield sites.”
It was calculated residents in the new apartments could spend £269,888 each year in local shops and businesses, helping to support jobs.
And because residents enjoyed a reduced risk of health challenges, including dementia and slips and trips, it was estimated NHS and social care services could save about £122,500 a year.
The spokesperson said the flats would be in a 2.5 and three-storey building at the rear of the existing supermarket, with a new single-story Co-op facing The Avenue.
They said: “This has been designed to respond to the quality of the context and create a series of frontages that respects the scale, massing, and appearance of the surrounding environment.
“We design our schemes to express an individual character of their own to meet the needs of our residents and reflect the surrounding area.”
The top level flats would be integrated into an innovatively-designed roofscape structure to maintain a two-storey feel to the building, with the three-storey section at the rear to reduce ‘height perception’.
The convenience store would be capped by a recessed parapet mansard roof and a gable feature highlighting its main entrance to reflect typical features which characterised many of the units along The Avenue and fully integrate it into the historic Victorian architecture of the town.
The spokesperson said: “There are two separate proposed site accesses servicing the site.
“The retirement living development will use the existing Co-op service yard access off Summerland Avenue.
“The convenience store access will be newly created off the access lane linking The Avenue to the Summerland Car Park.”
The retirement block would have a shared communal lounge with a kitchenette and a hotel-style guest suite.
There would be 21 car parking spaces for retirement residents, while the convenience store would have a separate 19-space shoppers’ car park sited between it and the block of flats.