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Search the Public Notice PortalA prominent building that has overlooked Minehead seafront for more than a century is set to begin a new chapter after conversion plans were approved.
The Strand, a former hotel which dates back to Minehead’s Edwardian heyday, is set for a new lease of life following a decision by Somerset Council.
Planning officers have approved the conversion of the upper floors of the Strand Café on Warren Road into eight self-contained flats, overlooking the seafront.
The basement and ground floor will remain in commercial use as retail units.
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The large three-storey property was originally built as the Strand Hotel in around 1914 and stands within the Minehead Conservation Area.
The lower floors of the building continued to operate as a family-run café and ice-cream parlour before closing last year.
The development scheme will divide the existing residential accommodation across the first and second floors into four one-bedroom and four two-bedroom flats.
As the upper floors currently form one residential unit, the project will result in a net increase of seven homes, according to developers.
Each floor will contain two one-bedroom and two two-bedroom properties.
Plans also include the restoration of an original staircase between the ground and first floors, providing street-level access to four of the flats.
The residential conversion will largely involve changes inside the building, including removing some internal walls, installing new partitions and blocking up several doorways. The building’s distinctive seafront frontage will remain.
Somerset Council has approved the plans on the condition that all external windows and doors must be made from timber, while samples of other new exterior materials will require approval.
In their planning submission, Minehead Conservation Society said the property was designed by Edwardian architect WJ Tamlyn, who also designed the adjoining Queen’s Hall.
It described the former hotel as a landmark building which "adds to the character and appearance of the street scene."
The society said: “Because of the importance of this attractive building to the street scene we should welcome a sympathetic interior restoration of the upper storeys," but added they would have preferred fewer, larger flats to preserve surviving period details.
In their submission, Minehead Town Council supported what councillors described as the “sympathetic refurbishment of a historic building within the town” and did not object to the application.
No extra parking spaces will be created, although secure storage for 12 bicycles is planned in the basement.
Somerset Council granted planning permission on September 16, subject to conditions intended to protect the building’s character and address biodiversity matters. Works by the developers must begin within three years of the permission date.
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