Coastal Café/Restaurant

This new build café concession/restaurant and fully accessible gender-neutral public toilets in a coastal town has been submitted for planning permission and is due to start on site early 2022.

Constrained on a thin sliver of land with a busy promenade, service road and adjacent Grade II Listed structure, it has been challenging to plan a 24 cover café/restaurant with commercial kitchen facilities and fully accessible public toilet provision. The proposals also include the towns first ‘Changing Places’ toilet. Standard accessible toilets do not meet the needs of all people with a disability. Over ¼ million people in the UK with a disability need extra equipment, space and assistance to allow them to use the toilets safely and comfortably. These needs are met by Changing Places toilets.

A fully glazed corner of sliding doors allows free flowing public access to the café counter in summer months and at other times can be closed to achieve a more intimate space to enjoy an evening meal whilst taking in the sea view and that of the adjacent Listed Building.

Architecturally the building is divided into two elements, the public toilet facilities in the lower flat roof form (with a beach pebble and planted roof finish) and the café/restaurant/kitchen in the higher section. The parapet roof protects photovoltaic solar panels, an air source heat pump and the commercial ventilation system for the kitchen. Externally the cladding is locally sourced coppiced sweet chestnut boarding.