Minehead Sea Shelters

Designed to build upon the Trust's earlier Enterprising Esplanade initiative to enhance year-round appeal for residents and visitors, the two new shelters address a clear, established need. The promenade near the Pirate Ship Play Area, a popular gathering spot for families and pedestrians, previously lacked adequate cover. Although planning consent for two canopy shelters was originally granted in January 2021 (application 3/21/20/096), MCDT recognised prior to construction that the open-sided design failed to provide meaningful protection against severe wind, rain, and driving sand. Consequently, our brief was to create an improved alternative shelter design for these locations that delivers genuine shelter and comfort.

Minehead's seafront falls into two distinct characters: an Edwardian west end running into the older Quay Town, and a more modern east end with some art deco detailing, of which Warren Road, lined by the modern apartment blocks of Trinity Way, is part. The shelter sites sit at this more contemporary end, with Butlin's holiday resort visible to the east, North Hill and the sweep of Minehead Bay to the west, and the Welsh coast visible across the water to the north. Taking inspiration from the traditional Edwardian shelters further along the front was briefly considered, but felt likely to read as a pastiche in this different setting; instead we took the design towards the character and materiality of the natural coastal landscape itself, so the shelters would sit comfortably in this newer part of the seafront rather than trying to imitate an older one.

The design followed a straightforward ‘form follows function’ logic, developed directly from a site appraisal of wind, rain, sun and views. Two fully open sides let people look straight through, out to sea and across to the Pirate Ship Play Area, while two enclosed, part-glazed sides turn their backs to the prevailing south-westerly wind and rain. North-facing external seating gives shade on hot days, and a west-facing bench catches the evening sun. Placed on level ground to be fully accessible to wheelchair and pushchair users, the new design also is lower than the 2021 scheme, reducing its visual impact on the sea views enjoyed from the Trinity Way flats directly opposite.

Consultation ran throughout the design process. MCDT worked closely with the Minehead People and Place Partnership, whose members include Minehead Town Council, Somerset West and Taunton Council, Somerset County Council, Minehead Business Improvement District and the West Somerset Green Forum, sharing the emerging designs with them at each stage. Feedback was sought more widely too, through a local press release, through Minehead EYE (to hear directly from young people about how the shelters might be used), and through direct consultation with the residents of Trinity Way, whose homes look straight out over the site. Several design variations, developed from the same core concept, were put out to a public social media vote so residents could have a genuine say in the shelters' final appearance, while the practice retained creative direction over the underlying design.

Materials were chosen for durability in a genuinely harsh environment, and wherever possible for a lower environmental footprint. The palette combines stone gabion walls, reusing materials sourced on site as well as local stone,  timber cladding and steel, giving a natural sense of enclosure that is also low-maintenance and salt-resistant. Gabion stonework was specified as a loose, mortar-free fill precisely so it could be taken apart and its materials reused or recycled at the structure's end of life, rather than bonded together for good. Each roof is angled to shed water towards a small planted rock garden and to carry a south-facing solar panel for lighting and phone charging - modest, visible gestures towards the “greener Minehead” the Trust wanted the project to stand for. Because the glazed elements sit on a stretch of coast frequented by gulls and other seabirds, bird-strike mitigation was factored into the glazing specification from an early stage.