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Herne Bay brewery and glamping plans revealed by Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company

06:00, 03 October 2021

A fresh bid to build a coastal microbrewery snubbed twice in nine months is set to be launched, it has been revealed.

The Whitstable Oyster Fishery Company (WOFC) has confirmed it is drawing up new proposals to transform derelict storage units into the beer haven in Reculver, Herne Bay.

A CGI showing how the brewery was expected to look last year
A CGI showing how the brewery was expected to look last year

Its hopes of constructing the facility just 260 metres from the ruins of a medieval church remain undented – despite councillors branding it a “glorified shed” last year.

The firm has also revealed it will lodge fresh plans for a glamping site on a nearby plot formerly occupied by Reculver Caravan Park.

A WOFC spokesman said: “We firmly believe that the proposed microbrewery and glamping site will improve the area and is supported by the public.

“We are therefore currently working on a new application for the microbrewery that will hopefully address the concerns of the planning committee when it was last submitted.”

Tankerton Tory Neil Baker urged the company to add a bar to the development - earmarked for a plot near Reculver Towers - when councillors threw it out in December.

A photograph showing how the site currently looks
A photograph showing how the site currently looks

This came after WOFC abandoned ambitions of adding an outdoor seating area to the premises when its initial bid was rejected seven months earlier.

Following the first refusal of the microbrewery scheme, the company also shelved the plans to open 64 glamping pods and three holiday lets.

“An application for the glamping site is being prepared to ensure it has the support of English Heritage,” the WOFC spokesman added.

“These two projects together will bring people to the area, while providing jobs and improving the visual amenity of the site.”

Reculver councillor Rachel Carnac believes bids for both projects could be lodged with the council this autumn.

Reculver councillor Rachel Carnac
Reculver councillor Rachel Carnac

“That regeneration of the coastline would bring in more visitors to Reculver and Herne Bay,” the Conservative said.

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