PLANS to build a temporary ‘village’ for 216 staff members, while permanent accommodation is improved, have been submitted by Minehead’s Butlin’s Holiday resort for approval by Somerset West and Taunton Council.

The accommodation will allow staff to remain on site who cannot find more permanent accommodation in or around Minehead, as well as freeing up space for existing staff quarters to be refurbished.

In the application, a spokesman for Walsingham Planning said the new village would have sufficient space for 216 members of staff, spread across 88 ‘snoozepods’ - two bedrooms and a kitchen unit - and 40 ‘bunkabins’ - one bedroom only - with four canteens.

Much of the new accommodation would be sited on land near the existing staff car park and football pitch, which was previously used for temporary accommodation between July 2019 and June 2020.

The existing access from Warren Road would be maintained, with staff accommodation kept separate from tourist housing at all times.

The spokesman added: “The temporary development is required due to the refurbishment of both guest and team accommodation, and in consideration of an increase in demand.

“Butlin’s is recruiting more staff to provide support across the resort to offer a great guest experience.

“The resort has struggled to fill all vacancies locally, which means they need to increase their team accommodation to cater for people they recruit from outside the local area.

“Butlin’s approached a number of bed-and-breakfasts and hotels in the area to see if they could rent accommodation, but could not secure enough rooms due to other bookings already taken for the summer by these businesses.

“Butlin’s is looking into long-term options on-site and at how they can encourage their staff to take housing in the local community. In the meantime, this proposed temporary approach is required.”

The Minehead resort has recently begun operating day passes again, following in the footsteps of the other Butlin’s resorts in Bognor Regis and Skegness.

The three sites are currently up for sale, with its parent company Blackstone - which also operates the Haven and Warner Leisure Hotels brands - seeking to generate £700 million from the three camps.

The spokesman said: “The resort makes a significant contribution to the local economy through the employment of local people and linked spending outside of the resort within Minehead and the district.

“The proposed temporary development will provide residential accommodation for a proportion of their employees who choose to live on a seasonal basis away from home while major refurbishment of existing staff accommodation takes place.”

The council is expected to make a decision on the plans before the summer.