MINEHEAD'S old hospital could be restored to its original 19th century glory as the new owners of the iconic town centre site declared they had a passion for elegant classical buildings and were determined to make it shine again.

Bill Howard and Bob Jones snapped up the development lot at auction for just £350,000 at the end of March when local attempts to save the heritage buildings and turn them into a community and cultural hub were floundering.

But this week the business partners said they wanted everyone to know they were definitely not the typical "just for profit" motivated developers.

And they hope the main building, which dates from 1888 and was designed by one of Minehead's most foremost Victorian architects, James Piers St Aubyn, can be returned to its heyday as assembly rooms.

"It's a wonderful building," Mr Howard told the Free Press. "What a fantastic venue it would be for weddings and other functions."

Restoring and recreating the original features could be a mammoth task, involving stripping out the attic rooms to reveal the high vaulted ceiling.

But the owners are determined to give the building back its true identity, much of which has been lost since the early 1900s.

Since buying the property, the two men have been working closely with the Minehead Development Trust, which has battled for seven years to preserve the buildings and give them a new focus.

And Mr Howard – who revealed that he visited the site for the first time only a few days before the auction – said he and Mr Jones were keen to salvage and progress MDT's plans.

"I certainly wasn't looking to buy something like this," said Mr Howard, a consultant engineer from St Albans with a background in building services.

"I was actually looking for a bit of land to use for storage when I came across the old hospital on a property agent's website.

"It was such a lovely building but it was going to auction in about four days' time."

And after a flying visit to Minehead and a brief look around the site, Mr Howard made a decision which could have a significant and lasting impact on his and the town's future.

"I thought surely we could do something nice with this, and I just couldn't bear the thought of it being turned entirely into flats or something similar.

"So I went to the auction and bought it."

The owners are well aware that some commercial development will be necessary on the third of an acre site which boasts three Grade Two listed properties.

So the upper floor of one of them – the former nurses' home – could be turned into residential accommodation.

"As we've only spent £350,000 buying the buildings we're not looking for a massive return on our investment," said Mr Howard.

"It's got to wash its face but it's more important that these wonderful buildings live again.

"We're not developers who are just going to walk away. We want to create something that is simply manageable and successful."

The owners' commitment comes as a survey to help shape the future of the old hospital revealed overwhelming support for preserving the heritage of the buildings and developing the site with a focus on community use.

A preliminary analysis of more than 700 questionnaires following a consultation event earlier this month has revealed that the majority of people hope the buildings, which have been empty for the past four years, will become a focal point to bring the community together, with shared space for people of all ages and interests.

The consultation, run by MDT and the owners, showed a total of 682 people backed the idea of preserving the heritage of the buildings, while 686 wanted to see them transformed for community use, with visitor information, a museum, meeting and exhibition space and a library emerging as the most popular facilities.

The majority of questionnaires returned came from local people but some were from regular visitors to Minehead.

Around 55 per cent of responses were from people aged over 65, and although this is demographically representative of the local community, the MDT is planning to approach local schools to give younger people a chance to have their say.

"Our plan is most definitely to continue to support and assist the MDT in reviewing, updating and implementing their original vision to the best of our abilities, as quickly as possible," said Mr Howard.

"Some people have already pledged money and we'd love to have more pledges as well as any offers of practical help."

MDT chairman Jenny Lennon-Wood said a more detailed report on the consultation would be available in the next couple of weeks, but the early results gave both the organisation and the owners the strong evidence of community support they needed to generate a site development plan.