Back to the drawing board for West Wittering beach cafe revamp plans

The application to develop a new cafe was previously met with strong opinions on either side of the argument.

West Wittering residents, including the Rolling Stones’ Keith Richards, objected to the application for the ‘enormous’ £1.5m cafe, commenting that it would ‘dominate the area and spoil its character’.

Mr Richards stated in an earlier article: “The second-storey restaurant overlooks and is visible from the sea and beach. It spoils the natural beauty and seclusion of the beach.

“The restaurant threatens the environment and locals. It cannot be allowed.”

However, not all residents agreed, with many stating that it is needed and ‘would improve what is already a brilliant summer venue’.

Now, following a statement from West Wittering Beach, plans for a new and improved beach cafe on the popular seafront look set to be brought back to life.

In a statement, a spokesperson from West Wittering Beach said: “There has been a café at West Wittering Beach since before 1952 when the original West Wittering Estate Limited was established.

“The current building was damaged by fire and needs to be replaced to ensure staff are able to serve our customers efficiently and safely.

“Our 2014-15 plans to develop a new café at the beach met mixed reactions.

“Responses gathered during an initial programme of neighbourhood and shareholder consultation was generally positive, though significant concerns were subsequently raised.”

They continued: “Consequently, at the beginning of 2016 the board decided that a fresh start was the best way forward.

“Over the coming months we will be meeting with all interested parties to canvass opinion before considering a new plan for the café development.

“If you have any specific questions or suggestions for this project please contact [email protected]”

A spokesperson for the committee stressed that it is in the ‘very early stages’ of collecting data, and no specific plans have been drawn up so far.