New Council Housing Development in Minehead Faces “Severe Delays”

A construction initiative aimed at erecting council apartments situated on the periphery of a rural community is encountering “severe delays”. Somerset Council, in collaboration with its contractor Classic Builders, has been developing plans for 54 new residences located on Rainbow Way in Minehead, adjacent to the town’s cricket club. These properties represent the first new council housing units in Minehead in a generation and are being constructed with the inclusion of solar panels and air source heat pumps, intended to reduce energy costs. While certain homes within the site are currently occupied, the council has now acknowledged that the initial flats in this development will not reach completion before January or February 2025, with the remaining units expected to be finished two months subsequent to that. The newly built houses and flats are slated for release through the council’s Homefinder service, with preferential allocation extended to individuals residing in Minehead or possessing familial ties to the locality. As reported by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, tenants have already taken occupancy of 11 of these homes, and an additional four are anticipated to be occupied by the close of November. A spokesperson representing Somerset Council stated that the postponement in completing the flats stemmed from health and safety concerns related to their proximity to ongoing construction activities on adjacent apartment blocks. The spokesperson further indicated that the council plans to extend invitations to prospective tenants for an open event scheduled at the site on 21 January.