By Isle of Wight Observer
Lake Fish Bar, a fixture in the heart of the community since 1978, is unlikely to serve another battered sausage, as the property owner is seeking to convert the former takeaway to residential use.
The property owner has put in an application for prior approval from the IW Council, to change the floor space classification from Class M (Hot Food Takeaway) to Class C3 (Dwelling houses). This planning route, which falls under permitted development rights, allows the council to check suitability on limited factors, like external appearance and transport impact, before a full application is submitted. The applicant and her late husband purchased the premises, which included the takeaway and an attached three-bedroom house, in June 2000. However, owing to personal circumstances, the business stopped trading in August 2023, leaving the commercial floor space vacant ever since. Despite the business being continuously marketed by agents since September 2023, no commercial interest has materialised. The conversion plans involve minor internal work to change the property into a four-bedroom house including converting the commercial kitchen into a domestic one and turning the current domestic kitchen into a ground-floor en-suite bedroom. Signage would be removed, and the shop’s front window and door replaced to blend in with the rest of the residential building. You can respond to the public consultation on application 25/01360/3MPA until October 24 via iw.observer/planning-portal.
Isle of Wight Observer