ORGANISERS behind a scheme that would link Minehead's Morrisons supermarket to the town and lead visitors on a scenic journey of the resort's attractions are hoping to make a bid for funding. The Minehead Development Trust is hoping that the £40,000 cost of the project will come from a pot of planning gain cash - money paid by developers - which is held by West Somerset Council. But with the details of the bid still being worked up, Minehead Vision Manager Stephen Hooper unveiled the bones of the proposal to Minehead Town Council this week. He told councillors that the intention of the project was to provide a series of connected journeys around scenic viewpoints and points of interest in the town, directly linked to and through the Morrisons walkways to engage visitors to the town, the supermarket and other attractions nearby. Mr Hooper said the relocation earlier this year of the visitor centre to the Beach Hotel and the creation of a new town museum in the same location - just yards from the West Somerset Railway - had created a heritage hub and a coherent visitor destination. The new proposals would see an existing pedestrian and cycleway joining Morrisons to the town framed with a heritage-style iron archway at the supermarket end. The aim would be to draw shoppers to the pathway and through the heritage hub to the northern end of The Avenue. A series of information and interpretation boards would be installed, along with a map which would not only show that particular pathway but also the network of walks and trails around the town and the links to the South West Coastal Path. The boards would have scannable QR codes and links to enable visitors to download any trail apps for the town. Three new Minehead trail apps would be commissioned to provide GPS driven guides for walks around the historic higher town, the commercial middle town and the seaside lower or Quay town. The apps would be a collaboration between the conservation and museum groups, as well as other groups and public sector bodies. And they would be supplemented by a series of promotional brochures aimed at launching, sustaining and developing the visitor experience. In addition, an open wi-fi system would be installed at the visitor centre, providing an externally accessible 'hotspot'. Two interactive information screens would also be installed - one inside the visitor centre, the other mounted in the window but accessible from the outside using touch-screen technology to provide a 24-hour service. Mr Hooper said as an integral part of the project and to further the reinforce the Morrisons link, the proposal would also see the installation of season lighting in The Avenue. He said the town council had agreed to fund a pilot to install multiple globes of LED lights in a tree outside the Regal Theatre, with another sponsor providing a similar installation at the northern end of The Avenue. "The intention of the lighting is to provide vibrancy and colour to The Avenue and enhance the visitor /resident experience both in summer and winter," said Mr Hooper. He said the LED system would have low running and maintenance costs and it was hoped to eventually install lights in all the trees along The Avenue, with a sponsorship scheme led by local traders and groups to fund the energy costs. The scheme is a scaled down version of a proposal brought by Mr Hooper to the council in July, which failed to win their support. Councillors had asked for more detailed costings and also wanted to see evidence of any consultation carried out. The latest proposal is for less than half the £84,000 needed for the original scheme and now no longer includes a gateway between the Beach Hotel and the railway station, which would have incorporated a barometer, tidal clock and mini weather station. However, after hearing Mr Hooper's presentation councillors were neither in favour or against the replacement scheme, with no vote taken either way. Clerk Sue Sanders reminded them of their request at the July meeting and said that was why no recommendation had been tabled. Cllr Tony Berry said the current proposals were quite different from the original so it was impossible to take a vote. And he questioned whether Somerset County Council would allow lights to be installed on all the trees in The Avenue. "I tried to do it when I was mayor two years ago and it was turned down on highway grounds," he said. However, the decision on whether the scheme secures funding will be taken by the district council. Town councillors agreed to write to the authority raising concerns that in their view changes made to the guidance for applications, which took effect in May, effectively excluded them from the process. Community-based organisations operating on a not-for-profit basis in West Somerset are eligible to bid for a share of the planning obligations fund. Applicants are told to meet with their local town or parish council to discuss their project and, ideally, secure a letter of support. But under the changes, the district council can accept applications without the support of local councillors. Minehead mayor Cllr Les Smith said he felt that was excluding councils. And Cllr Berry said he wanted to know on whose authority the changes were made. "We need more information. I don't know why the district council can't hand the money over to town and parish councils as happens in most places." And Cllr Terry Venner said it was time town councillors stood up to the district. "This has a major impact on how the money is spent," he said. "It makes an absolute mockery of the process and I don't accept that. "Our views do count."