'Severe delays' on new council housing development

A small number of council houses on the new estate are already occupied

A construction project to build council flats on the outskirts of a rural town is facing "severe delays".

Somerset Council has been working with its contractor Classic Builders on plans for 54 new properties on Rainbow Way in Minehead, near the town’s cricket club.

They will be the first new council houses in Minehead for a generation and are being built with solar panels and air source heat pumps to keep energy bills down.

Some homes within the site are already occupied but the council has now admitted that the first flats in the development will not be completed until January or February 2025, with the remainder not being finished until two months later.

Priority for the homes will be given to those who live in Minehead or have family connections to the town

The new houses and flats will be released onto the council’s Homefinder service, with priority being given to those living in Minehead or having family connections to the area.

Tenants have moved into 11 of the homes with a further four expected to be occupied by the end of November, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service

A spokesman for Somerset Council said the delay to the flats had been caused by health and safety issues over the proximity to construction work on apartment blocks nearby.

The spokesperson added that the council intends to invite potential tenants to an open event at the site on 21 January.