Sun sets on West Kirby café

Apr 16 2008 by Lorna Hughes, Hoylake and West Kirby News

Sun sets on popular café

A LONG-SERVING tenant of a café-bar on West Kirby promenade has hit out at Wirral Council after being given six months’ notice to leave.

Roger Jones, 50, has run the Sunset Lounge, which looks out on to the seafront and Coronation Gardens, for 21 years.

But he has now been told he must vacate the premises by May 9 so the building, which opened in 1936 as the Café Royal, can be demolished and replaced with a “family-orientated café”.

Plans for the new facility include public toilets, which would replace those next to the café closed in a mass axing of public toilets in 2003.

Mr Jones is appealing against the decision through solicitors and says he is hurt and angry the council wants him to leave.

He said: “Originally I came here for my wife. We had two young children and she wanted something sustainable and family-orientated. The lease came up for this place and we took it on.

“She died in 1992 and in 1994 I completely did the place up - I built toilets, put a central heating system in, windows and put in for a drinks licence. I’ve spent £100,000 on the property.

“The people I bought the lease off would open at Easter weekend until October but now, come rain or shine, we’re down here.

“Someone will try to make a lot of money here but in the winter I lose money.”

Mr Jones said a petition against the council’s decision ran to more than 90 pages and over 1,300 signatures.

Wirral Council says the planned redevelopment will build on improvements to Coronation Gardens last spring, delivered in partnership with the Friends of Coronation Gardens.

A spokesman said: “This is a key site for visitors to West Kirby and it is important that it is of the highest standard.

“It is anticipated that this will include a family-orientated café with refreshment kiosk and public toilets.

“While it is unfortunate that it has been necessary to serve notice on the current tenant, the new development opportunity will be openly marketed and the current tenant may submit their own expression of interest proposal to operate the new café building.”