A derelict former museum and restaurant on Plymouth's waterfront is to be turned into a restaurant and bar themed like a 1930s ocean liner after being taken over by a South West hospitality company.
The businessmen who have been running water's edge bar and restaurant The Waterfront, close by on Plymouth's Hoe, are now in charge of the , once home to a restaurant overseen by late TV chef Gary Rhodes.
Inns of Cornwall and Devon, run by John Milan and Steve Bellman, has entered into an agreement with Plymouth City Council for the 125-year lease on the former visitor attraction and intends to repurpose and refurbish the two-storey building as a restaurant and bar.
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The company was selected by Plymouth City Council following a bidding process carried out by independent property consultants JLL. The partnership has considerable experience in the hospitality industry running award-winning venues, including the nearby Waterfront, at West Hoe, which won gold in the 2019 Devon Tourism Awards Pub of the Year and silver in this year’s awards.
The company also runs the Three Crowns, in Chagford, which has just won gold in the same category, and four other pubs including Exeter’s The Mill on the Exe and Headweir House, and Cornwall’s the Pandora Inn, at Mylor Bridge, and Tricky’ at the Tolgus Inn, Redruth.
Contracts have now formally been exchanged and behind the scenes the company has been looking at deco ideas, based on an art deco/1930s ocean liner theme.
It is hoped that the main bar area could be open for business as soon as July 2021 followed by the rest of the building as fast as the refurbishment allows.
Mr Milan said: “Plymouth’s waterfront is a special location and we want to create something really special in the Dome.
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“We wanted to make the most of some of the existing features as well as the view and think the ocean liner theme will be the perfect fit for Plymouth, Britain’s Ocean City and of course, those who want a great night out on the waterfront.”
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Business Live's South West Business Reporter is William Telford. William has more than a decade's experience reporting on the business scene in Plymouth and the South West. He is based in Plymouth but covers the entire region.
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The Plymouth Dome was opened by the Queen in 1989 and attracted more than 2.3million visitors over 15 years before being shut by the council in 2006.
It was then turned into the famous Rhodes @ the Dome eatery, run by the late TV chef Gary Rhodes. But this closed and the building has been empty since the Villa Amaranta restaurant closed in June 2019.
Plymouth City Council decided to put the lease on the market for at least £500,000, and shortly afterwards it was revealed that the building, with internal floor space of 16,738sq ft, had fallen into serious disrepair.
Council leader Tudor Evans said: “This is a successful West Country partnership which has strong links with the city of Plymouth. They have been part of the Plymouth family of businesses for a number of years and I can’t wait to see what they do with the Dome. It has terrific views and is in amazing location.
“More and more people are enjoying the Waterfront in the evenings, with more bars, cafes and restaurants, which is exactly what we want to see.”