Penzance: Harbour revamp would see restaurant demolished

Penzance Harbour currently has 150 moorings

A restaurant is facing demolition as part of proposals to change the layout of a harbour in Cornwall.

The building housing Penzance's Waterside Meadery, leased from Cornwall Council, is facing being removed as part of the renovation plans.

The council said the work would ease freight congestion and "reconnect" the town to the harbour area.

Restaurant bosses said they have been trying "to get a meeting" since being served notice in December.

Cornwall Council said it had been "working with the Waterside Meadery and other harbour businesses... for over a year to discuss the cost-efficient modernisation plans that would also address the traffic congestion."

It added that the business's lease agreement of 2015 included an 18-month demolition clause that was served in December 2023.

'Road congestion'

Demolition work on some other structures in the area is already under way.

The Harbour Authority said the project would see £3m of Town Deal funding from the government used to improve some of the buildings that surround the harbour, and a purpose-built waiting area built for lorries.

A new fully accessible pontoon to cater for the demand from cruise ships and visiting crafts was also proposed, it added.

The Waterside Meadery has been at the site since 1970

A Harbour Revision Order to allow the work to be carried out was approved last year and a drop-in exhibition about the project is being held at Penzance Sailing Club on Thursday.

Harbour Master James Broughton said local infrastructure had been "under pressure for quite some time".

He said: "Changes need to take place as our commercial activities are growing in relation to fish landings and associated marine engineering.

"The investment in our infrastructure will also enable us to address some issues that are impacting our town, such as road congestion and the risk of accidents on Quay Road."

More than 8,000 people have signed a petition to save the restaurant, which has 27 employees and has been operating since 1970, in response to the council proposals.

Co-owner John Stephens said: "We've been given our notice and we've been trying to get a meeting but have got nowhere so we don't really know where we stand"

Responding to the petitions, he added: "Hopefully it will have some weight, but we'll see."

The council said all suggested options for relocation of the restaurant have so far been declined, but it will continue to work with its owners "should they become aware of other opportunities for relocation".