MINEHEAD looks set to get a dedicated seafront coach park as part of a land swap deal between West Somerset Council and Somerset County Council.

The agreement could also create a much larger household waste recycling area for the town, although both schemes are still in the early stages.

Under the proposals, parking for around ten coaches could be provided on land set aside for additional business units within the county council-owned enterprise centre alongside the West Somerset Railway's new turntable.

Poor take-up of the existing business units has forced the county authority to have a re-think on how it uses the remaining land.

In return, the district council would then hand over a plot within the Vulcan Road development which had been reserved for around dozen coach spaces alongside the existing household waste recycling centre in Mart Road.

District council cabinet members gave their support in principle to the land swap and also paved the way for a temporary coach park to be created on the former Aquasplash pool site in the interim.

The existing coach park in the Vulcan Road car park will be lost after the district council sold the land in a £9 million deal with supermarket giant Morrisons.

Provision had been made for a new coach park on a corner of the site close to the supermarket's proposed new petrol station.

The arrangement would have seen coaches sharing access with users to both the nearby county council highways depot and Morrison's new fuel station.

District council executive director Adrian Dyer told Wednesday's cabinet meeting the set-up had never been ideal but was the best on offer at the time.

But in recent weeks, the county council had put forward the idea of a land-swap, although the deal would come with a financial sting in the tail for the cash-strapped district council.

Mr Dyer said a detailed breakdown of costs had yet to be drawn-up, but the county council believed the new coach park would cost £150,000.

Of that, Morrisons would pay £120,000 in lieu of having to construct a coach park at Vulcan Road and the county authority would put in £20,000, leaving West Somerset to pick-up the remaining £10,000.

Cabinet members were told the figures were all estimates, but agreed to allocate £2,000 towards the initial fees and costs to ensure a planning application could be submitted sooner rather than later.

An additional £3,500 would also be spent creating a temporary coach park on the former Aquasplash site, with the bulk of the cash being used for resurfacing and the remainder put towards the cost of a parking order and new signs.

Cllr Michael Downes, the council's lead member for economic development and tourism, welcomed both proposals and said it was vital the authority did all it could to support West Somerset's tourism industry.

"Clearly the provision of a suitable coach parking facility in Minehead is critical to the economy, which is why we made provision for coach parking in the Vulcan Road Car Park, but I think this solution is far better for the town," he said.

"It will bring the coach parking nearer to the town centre. It is close to the seafront and people won't have a great distance to walk to get to the main attractions."

But Cllr Kate Kravis said she was concerned the council really had no idea how many coach spaces it needed to be providing.

She suggested the council surveyed the main coach companies to ascertain what they thought of parking provision in the town: "We are just guessing at numbers over these parking spaces. What will happen if there are not enough spaces available?

"How will we get around it if we haven't?

"I don't want to be sat here in five years' time wondering if there is a problem or not."

Mr Dyer said he was unsure why 12 coach spaces had been suggested for the original coach park in Vulcan Road but he was certain the number had not just been "plucked out of the air".

He said there were hopes that up to 11 coaches could be squeezed onto the enterprise park and the council could easily write to coach companies to gauge their views on parking facilities in the town.

Councillors were told they would have to make a final decision on whether to go ahead with the enterprise park scheme before the end of May, following a more detailed report of the land-swap.

Mr Dyer said the estimated £150,000 cost included work to raise ground levels to overcome flooding concerns, new landscaping and parking orders.

He said if the project was approved, the new coach park would be ready "by the end of the season".

Minehead member Cllr David Sanders said: "This matter is of huge important to all the traders in Minehead.

"I think the traders will take to this, having coach parking outside the boxing club, and I think the townspeople will also support the council."

Fellow Minehead councillor Sandra Slade added: "I think this is a wonderful idea and a much better place for coach parking."

The temporary coach park on the former Aquasplash site will provide parking for eight vehicles during the summer season.