Weymouth bar changes set for refusal

Plans to change the outdoor seating areas at two neighbouring bars on Weymouth Esplanade are being recommended for refusal because of the impact on listed buildings and the town’s historic seafront.

Plans to change the outdoor seating areas at two neighbouring bars on Weymouth Esplanade are being recommended for refusal because of the impact on listed buildings and the town’s historic seafront.

Dorset Council planning officers say proposals for Kika Beach Club at 52-53 The Esplanade and The Nook Cocktail Club at 54-55 should be rejected on heritage and design grounds.

Both schemes involve replacing existing outside seating arrangements with retractable canopies, freestanding timber planters and associated works to the frontages. The adjoining premises occupy Grade II-listed buildings in the Georgian seafront and fall within Weymouth Town Centre Conservation Area.

At Kika, two shallow-pitched retractable canopies with fixed metal frames would extend across most of the frontage, separated by a gap of about 1.3 metres. Seven timber planters, linked by removable canvas or vinyl panels, would define the seating area, with a timber-clad wall at its southern boundary.

The Nook proposal similarly includes two retractable canopies, six planters with removable infill, a timber-clad wall and two wall-mounted heaters.

An existing doorway at the northern end would remain available as a fire escape.

Officers conclude that the additions would harm the heritage significance of the host buildings, neighbouring listed properties and the conservation area. They say the structures would be out of keeping with the Esplanade and would fail to preserve or enhance its distinctive Georgian architecture.

The council’s conservation officer raised particular concerns about the bulk, scale, permanent nature and visual clutter of The Nook scheme, as well as the way it would conceal views of the listed buildings. Officers acknowledge that some neighbouring businesses have similar external areas, but say each application must be judged on its own merits.

Weymouth Civic Society has supported The Nook application, describing the proposed canopies and planters as a significant visual improvement on the existing structures and earlier proposals. It said a consistent architectural style should be encouraged among neighbouring businesses along this part of the Esplanade.

The Kika applications follow the planning committee’s refusal in January 2026 of earlier proposals to retain canopies and associated frontage works.

The revised scheme removes a covered central walkway and fixed wooden benches and changes the boundary treatment, but officers say the canopies remain similar in shape and form to those previously refused.

The applications are P/FUL/2026/03357 and P/LBC/2026/03356 for Kika Beach Club, and P/FUL/2026/03672 and P/LBC/2026/03671 for The Nook.