THE man at the centre of controversy over plans to re-open a cafe in Blenheim Gardens, Minehead, said this week he would put his side of the story once the business was up and running.

Controversy has been building in the town since Somerset West and Taunton Council (SWT) agreed a secret deal to lease the run-down cafe building to William Wynn, who also runs Cafe 21, in The Avenue.

Details of the lease were kept confidential at the time for commercial reasons, as is normal practice, after it was awarded following what the council describes as “a robust, fair, and transparent process to select a tenant who provided ‘best value’”.  

Objectors fear Blenheim Gardens Cafe could become a late-night music and drinking venue and spoil the tranquillity of the park, and have been campaigning to persuade SWT to cancel the lease and allow the town council to take ownership of the building.

Mr Wynn told the Free Press this week: “At this time I do not want to make a statement. I do not want to start a tit-for-tat where anything I say can be misconstrued or create any narrative which is not true.

“At the end of the day, it is a cafe. I am just trying to do what is best for the town.

“I grew up in this town. I went to school here. My family history has been here for over 150 years. We were here before Butlins.

“I have tried to make a living here all my life. I have employed hundreds of people in the time I have been here.

“Once it is all done and dusted I can put together what has really been going on and who is really involved.”

Mr Wynn’s partner Lorraine Pegler said there had been much unpleasantness over the gardens cafe with workmen being shouted at and even somebody climbing onto the roof to take photographs.

Ms Pegler said there had been a torrent of complaints to SWT about Bar 21 because people wrongly believed it was run by Mr Wynn, and some of the comments from the public had been ‘absolutely vile’.

However, Ms Pegler said she owned the Bar 21 business and Mr Wynn owned Cafe 21, which operated from the same building.

She said: “If anybody wants to know anything, come and ask me. I will talk to anybody.

“It is not going to be a bar, it is just going to be a cafe.”