Fears for future of much-loved cafe (From Bournemouth Echo)

Fears for future of much-loved cafe

10:10am Wednesday 8th November 2006 in

• Skip social links
• Print
• Email
•  

IT'S seen the likes of Alex James from Blur and Rolf Harris grace its threshold but is now set to be consigned to history.

The Point House Cafe in Harbour Road, Southbourne, may be demolished and eight flats of up to four storeys high built if approved by planners.

The cafe has been run for 43 years by Ray and Dorothy Fletcher and is popular with tourists and locals alike, situated just yards from the beach.

Sadly the couple's advancing age and ill-health are forcing them to sell up, said son Richard, 43.

Recently the Point House Cafe has begun opening only at weekends from 10am until 5pm but in its heyday it would open all week from 10am until 10pm.

It is feared that once the cafe closes for winter on November 26 it may never re-open.

In 2002 the cafe was used as the location for a BBC drama, The Project, featuring Spooks star Ian McFadden and it is popular with the stars of Bournemouth's summer shows.

Alex James, bass guitarist for Blur, has praised the Point House cafe's cheese on toast in the Independent newspaper.

The application by Harrison Developments would see a block of eight flats erected of two, three and four storeys high with underground parking.

John Oram, 64, a retired local government officer, said: "That's a real shame because it's right at the end of the promenade and it's a great place for walkers to aim for."

Peter Walker, owner of Kalbarri bed and breakfast opposite the cafe, said: "I will be sorry to see the cafe go. A lot of people on the beach come up and use the facilities."

Grandmother Penny Salmon, 61, said she often visited the beach and cafe with her family.

"It's a shame. It's been there for years. We use it all the time. We go to the beach and then go and get coffees and lollies. A lot of beach users use it," she said.

James Bowman, 84, said: "I can't believe it. We go there quite often and my daughter is always there. She goes to have coffee with her friends. They do some nice food there. My grandson is 16 and he uses it a lot as well."

Cyclist and voluntary conservation worker Jeanie Hirshfield said having flats there would ruin the look of the coastline. "It will look horrendous - out of place. I'm concerned about the visual impact," she added.

Owners Ray and Dorothy Fletcher declined to comment.