Plan to rebuild West Sussex Harvester restaurant that burned down is confirmed

Mitchells & Butlers, which owns the restaurant chain, revealed this week it is working with Arun District Council on a planning application for a new eatery.

The Harvester, which was located in Coastguard Road, was demolished in October 2023 – two months after a devastating fire on August 10, 2023.

The blaze started in the kitchen and spread to the roof. Fortunately, no one was injured and everyone had evacuated the building before firefighters arrived. Despite the heroic efforts from fire crews, the fire left most of the building destroyed.

A spokesperson for Harvester said: "We can confirm that we are definitely planning to rebuild the Harvester in Littlehampton. We are currently working closely with our internal team and the local authority on a planning application.

"As the planning process can be unpredictable, it is very difficult at this stage to provide a firm timeline. However, we are committed to progressing the project as quickly as possible and will keep the community updated as we move forward."

The Windmill Cinema, next door to the restaurant, was closed for eight months to allow repairs to take place after the fire. The blaze led to water damage to the foyer and kiosk. Asbestos also had to be safely removed from the damaged ceiling of the Windmill complex and there had to be a full fire risk assessment.