PROGRESS is being made on major plans to update and upgrade Minehead's Irnham Road Recreation Ground.

A number of items pertaining to the site were discussed at Minehead Town Council's meeting on Tuesday evening (January 29), with acting town clerk Bryan Howe giving an update on the new community building and next steps.

Mr Howe reported that the new community building is well underway, with the main structure in place, and work on the plumbing, drainage and heating all coming along well.

He said the works were slightly behind schedule due to the recent bad weather, but that it had now been agreed for electric vehicle charging points to be installed and a defibrillator to be added.

The new community building will become home to Minehead Football Club as well as being used by community groups for various activities.

Once the new building is complete, the old clubhouse is due to be demolished, with Mr Howe saying companies had now been invited to tender for the work.

Elsewhere in the park, plans that had been mooted to install a new halfpipe skate ramp had been scrapped following a negative response from neighbouring residents to a consultation carried out by the council.

The council is now going to seek an alternative location for the skate ramp.

However, Mr Howe explained that a new plan for the site was coming together.

"As part of work to upgrade and update the facilities, we are now looking into the possibility of putting in outdoor adult gym equipment, and will be applying for Section 106 money to fund this," Mr Howe said.

He also told the meeting about plans to upgrade the basketball courts into a multi-use games area (MUGA), and improve the adjacent tennis courts which had 'fallen into disrepair'.

"Overall, this work on the MUGA and tennis courts will come to between £50,000 and £100,000, and it is proposed the town council would fund £35,000 of the project," Mr Howe said.

It is also proposed that the tennis courts would have an electronic code so that people will have to pay to use them to support their upkeep.

Cllr Anne Lawton thanked Mr Howe for his 'fantastic work' in making the community building project come together.