Isle of Wight: Regeneration plans for Victoria Barracks

The council has submitted plans seeking permission to restore and extend the site

Plans to revamp a "neglected" venue originally built to accommodate guards for Queen Victoria have been unveiled.

The Victoria Barracks on East Cowes Esplanade, Isle of Wight, could undergo a major revamp.

The building is owned by the Isle of Wight Council and has been vacant for years.

But under the new plans, it could see a new meeting area, bathrooms, sleeping accommodation, common room, laundry, storeroom, a canteen and kitchen.

After the work, Cowes-based United Kingdom Sailing Academy (UKSA) could become a potential new tenant, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Estate agents ERMC said the building was neglected, in a poor state of repair and unsuitable for occupation.

But the proposals would allow to improve training facilities and increase business on the island, ERMC added.

The proposals also include plans for a single-storey extension and new ceilings and floors.

The walls and railings around the barracks would instead be kept and restored, as the Victorian railings are believed to be some of the last in the town.

The project would be funded in part with £5.8m from the government's Levelling Up Fund.

The barracks were built in 1872 to accommodate guards for Queen Victoria.

The building remained owned by the military until 1960 when it was sold to the British Hovercraft Corporation before being bought by the council.

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and according to agents on behalf of the Isle of Wight Council, ERMC is 'neglected', in a poor state of repair and unsuitable for occupation.