MINEHEAD’s much-loved 99-year-old town hall clock will keep ticking along when the building is converted into a two-bedroom flat, Somerset West and Taunton council planning committee was told last week.

But calls to reinstate the original balcony around the clock-tower, which had been led by Minehead Conservation Society, failed after the committee heard that unless the building could be made into more flats, the clock tower restoration ‘wouldn’t economically stack up’.

The committee approved an application by Williton-based 599 Developments to convert the iconic grade two listed building into a residential property. It had been bought from Minehead Town Council in 2017 for £300,000 after councillors decided the building was too small and had no disabled access.

Since then, the town council had paid for someone to climb two flights of stairs and two ladders once a week to wind the clock.

Planning officer Jeremy Guise said the applicants had agreed to keep the clock going and to maintain it. He added: “The restoration of the balcony is a bigger project and they have resisted that mainly on economic grounds.

“We did go back to the agents about the balcony and asked them whether they would consider doing the reconstruction and they replied that unless they could make the building into more flats it wouldn’t economically stack up.”

Mr Guise said the proposal was to convert the former council building into a two-bedroom flat while leaving the outside of the building virtually unchanged. Inside, the barrel-vaulted council chamber would be converted into a kitchen and lounge-diner area and a large stained glass window at the back of the property would be boarded up. He added: “The stained glass window is an important feature of the building and part of its history and will not be removed. It is possible that in the future the building may once again have a change of use and, in that event, the window could be opened up and restored.” He said the council’s conservation officer was happy with the proposals.

For the full story see this week’s West Somerset Free Press.