MINEHEAD Recreation Ground is being transformed with a new community building designed to be as multi-functional as possible – and due for completion in June.

The facilities include a home for Minehead Football Club, a meeting room, outdoor gym and eco-benefits such as solar panels and, at the entrance from Alexandra Road car park, two electric car charging points as part of the town council’s ambition to make Minehead a ’Green Town’.

Developed by Minehead Town Council, the new building, designed by Louise Crossman Architects and built by local company QUBE, the new hall can be viewed at a series of open days once lockdown facilities have been lifted.

The main hall has an abundance of natural light, a sprung floor, excellent acoustics, a built-in storage area and all the latest IT technology which includes

built-in ceiling projector with automated screen, hearing loop and wireless/blue tooth links.  

There is a modern kitchen, built-in bar with cold room and a viewing veranda, as well as two changing rooms, showers, officials’ room and office and toilets.

All have underfloor heating and the whole building has full disability access. 

The new building’s design means that the layout can be quickly and easily changed from an exercise class to a formal meeting or social function, training course to a whist drive.

Minehead Town Council will hold its meetings in the main hall, an during weekdays and evenings, the facilities will be available for use by community groups. Any that are interested should email [email protected]

The council has also secured funding for an outdoor gym, next to the multi-use games areas (MUGA), which will be free to use and will be installed in late June or early July. This will consist of ten pieces of standard gym equipment, such as exercise bikes, cross trainers, leg press, rower and chest press, but robustly built for outside use.

All  the  machines will have instructional boards alongside showing how they can be used. Each instructional board also has a barcode which links to an app showing appropriate workouts for all levels. 

There will also be workshops organised prior to the opening to explain how interested people can get most benefit from their workout.

The tennis courts will be out of bounds for six weeks until early July while refurbishment work is carried out.l

Once all the building work on the facilities is complete then the old football club building will be demolished later in the summer.

Minehead Mayor Paul Bolton said: “The refurbishment of the Recreation Ground has long been an ambition of the town council and has been made possible by investment by the council which has attracted partnership funding from a wide range of organisations: Hinkley Point CIM Fund, Somerset West and Taunton S106 Developers’ Contributions, the Football Foundation, Jewsons’ Building Better Communities Fund, the Fairfield Trust and the Clarks Foundation.  

Our aim is to make the Recreation Ground a focus for active recreation in the town – In the new hall or outside – and we hope that the planned opening of the new facilities will occur as we come out of lockdown later in the summer and give our local communities of all ages an opportunity to get active and enjoy the benefits of all our new community facilities.”