Somerset Council grants permission to expand Minehead arcade by mistake
Procedural error forces resubmission of Minehead seafront arcade expansion plans
Somerset Council has been left with egg on its face after approving to expand Minehead’s seafront arcade by mistake.
The Arkade is located on Warren Road in the heart of Minehead, a short walk from the town’s heritage railway station, and proudly boasts “the largest pay to play collection of classic pinball machines in the UK”, according to the Visit Exmoor tourism website.
The business is operated by Marcus Kravis, who serves as one of two Liberal Democrat councillors for the neighbouring Dunster division (the other being his partner Cara Strom, following a by-election in October).
Mr Kravis applied in March to expand the business by demolishing the nearby redundant public toilets, which were voted “the second most hated building in Minehead” before their eventual closure.
Somerset Council’s planning officers approved these plans in mid-December, arguing the proposals complied with all necessary planning policies and would bring economic growth to the town.
However, the council’s constitution states that all planning applications by serving councillors or officers must be decided in public by the relevant committee, to ensure transparency.
To prevent a legal challenge, Mr Kravis has now had to resubmit these plans, which will be considered by the council’s planning committee west early in the new year.
The committee (which handles major applications within the former Somerset West and Taunton area) previously had to discuss numerous applications Mr Kravis or Ms Strom made in relation to the Anchor’s Drop holiday accommodation business in Blue Anchor – the most recent being the conversion of part of the former Blue Anchor pub into a convenience store, back in late-May.
The Arkade plans were originally due to be discussed by the committee when it met in Taunton on December 16; however, this item was ultimately withdrawn from the agenda.
Planning officer Gemma Webster explained: “Due to an unfortunate oversight, planning permission was granted for the development proposed under delegated powers, contrary to the provisions of the council’s constitution.
“The decision, having not been made in accordance with the correct procedures is, therefore open to legal challenge.”
Ms Webster said that this error had been pointed out by Mr Kravis, clarifying that neither he nor his planning agent had been responsible for the “regrettable” mistake.
She added that the council could pursue a judicial review to quash the original approval, but warned this would “incur considerable costs and would take a significant length of time”, impacting on the viability of the proposed development.
To avoid a legal challenge, Mr Kravis has resubmitted his plans, which will go out for fresh local consultation before the planning committee west makes a final decision in early-2026.
The public toilets were originally closed by West Somerset Council in 2017, with the Arkade opening them under licence in 2018 and again in the summer of 2020 before they were again closed.
Under the plans, the floor to the former ladies’ toilets will be levelled to expand the arcade area, while the former gents’ toilets will be used to provide additional storage space for equipment and supplies.
Neither Minehead Town Council nor the Environment Agency objected to the original proposals – though both will be freshly consulted over the coming weeks.