BRAND NEW RESTAURANT COULD BE BUILT IN GURNARD NEXT TO FORMER LITTLE GLOSTER SITE

A former Isle of Wight restaurant could soon be turned into a house – but a new eatery is planned for next door. The Little Gloster, on Marsh Road in Gurnard, was closed by its operators, Ben and Holly Cooke, in 2020. Changes have been made to the building since it has been empty, with the former dining area currently used as a residential property. Under new plans submitted by the building’s owner, John Dart, a new, smaller restaurant would be built on the site overlooking the Solent, with space for 30 to 35 people indoors. It would also allow a new business to have 3x B&B or self-catering bedrooms with sea-facing views and sea-facing balconies. Planning documents say the accommodation is essential to the future survival of the business. The main reason for the application, it says, is to make the business and property more resilient to future flooding as the current restaurant building is at great risk. It is proposed to raise the ground floor of the existing building to make it less likely to flood and the new restaurant could be a lightweight construction and capable of being raised in the future if needed. The new restaurant could also have a refuge area and escape window for evacuation purposes. The former Little Gloster floorspace could become a garage, store or wet room and entrance to the 1st floor residential flat. You can view the plans, 23/02037/FUL, on the Isle of Wight Council’s planning register. Comments can be submitted until 3rd January 2024.