FROM SHOES TO BOOZE! COULD FORMER SHOE ZONE STORE IN SHANKLIN BECOME BEER CAVE?

What used to be Shoe Zone in Shanklin could given a new lease of life, as an Isle of Wight beer cave. The former shoe shop on Regent Street has been empty for nearly 6 months, but it could soon be converted into an off-license. Plans for a Premier Stores have been unveiled by Subramaniam Sabeeshan, who runs similar branches across the Island. Proposed, is a ‘beer cave’ and a ‘soft drinks cave’, as well as machines serving Costa Coffee, slushies and milkshakes, and the sale of American confectionery. Suggested opening hours are 06:00 to 23:00, Monday to Sunday. A licensing application has been submitted, which could allow the store to sell alcohol to be consumed off the premises. Staff would be trained to deal with problems, CCTV cameras could be installed and signage would be displayed to request customers leave the shop in a quiet and orderly way, deterring them from loitering around the premises, say documents submitted to the Isle of Wight Council. You can view the proposals, 24/00151/LAPNEW, on the Isle of Wight Council’s licensing register. Comments can be submitted until 15th March. Shanklin’s Shoe Zone closed in September and was the second branch to shut, following Ryde, in March 2022.