Council confirms café future after fire

The Beachcomber Café in Teignmouth was badly damaged in 2017

A seafront café destroyed in a fire has still not reopened, two years on from the blaze.

Overnight on July 25, 2017, the kitchen, takeaway and service areas of the Beachcomber Café in Teignmouth were destroyed in a fire.

The rest of the seafront building was left badly damaged by smoke and water and following the fire, deadly asbestos was discovered in the building.

Works has since taken place to restore the café, but despite initial hopes it would have re-opened by the summer of 2018, the café remains closed.

Earlier this week, a petition of 3,528 signatures was handed into the council calling for the Beachcomber Café to be saved.

Teignbridge District Council does not operate a formal petition scheme with the requirement for the council to publish and comply with a scheme for the handling of petitions made to it removed by section 46 of the Localism Act 2011.

The petition will be put before the relevant officer for consideration, but a spokesman for the council though confirmed that the Beachcomber Café is set to reopen and that the future of it is not at risk.

They said: “The council is in the process of reinstating the Beachcomber Café and its future is not at risk.  There are currently legal proceedings in respect of the lease of the building and a hearing is scheduled for August 20.”