MINEHEAD is to have a new local produce market for up to five days a week and a community café at the Old Hospital in The Avenue, despite objections from Minehead Town Council.
West Somerset Council’s planning committee backed the recommendations of its officers at its meeting last Friday (September 28).
Members agreed to a change of use for the forecourt of the listed building to allow a market from 7am to 6pm from Thursday until Monday with additional days during holidays.
The committee also approved a scheme to convert a ground-floor extension on the side of the building – formerly a day ward – into a community café for a maximum of three years.
Making the application, Minehead Connect, the CIC now running the Old Hospital project, said that the café would be somewhere where residents and visitors could meet to get information on what was happening on the site and get involved in the activities planned for a community hub.
It was hoped that the café would employ two full-time and three part-time staff. The proposal for a market and café was seen as positive to both the economy and the community and would add vibrancy to a key area of the town.
Planning officer Elizabeth Peeks told the committee in a report that the proposed café would preserve the character and appearance of the conservation area in which the Old Hospital stood, as no external alterations were proposed.
But market stalls would change the appearance of the forecourt of the listed building and should be removed when not in use.
Mrs Peeks said: “The quality and presentation of proposed market offerings will be strictly controlled by Minehead Connect to ensure that they respect both the heritage of the site and the expectations of the community.”
She added: “The primary object of the market is to attract more footfall and trade into the town centre. This can only be achieved if the offering is ‘right’.”
Mrs Peeks said that, in its objection to the application, Minehead Town Council wanted to know what was meant by a community café – would it be non-profit-making?
The council had also asked for more information on the standard of possible stalls and for more details on their possible effect on surrounding businesses.
The committee agreed to impose a condition controlling the design and size of the market stalls but decided that the proposal complied with the local plan and preserved the character and appearance of the conservation area – and granted planning permission.
The building’s owner, Bill Howard, welcomed the decision: “It’s a really positive move,” he said.
“Everyone has been supportive and already a lot of good ideas are floating around about both the café and the market.”