A much-loved Isle of Wight seaside attraction looks set to reopen this summer, but questions remain about what will happen in the long-term.
The future of Brown’s Golf Course on Culver Parade, Sandown has been up in the air for months after its previous managers left earlier this year.
New tenant for the business
Now, it can be revealed the Isle of Wight council has accepted a new tenant for the business.
The authority hopes they will take over in time for the school summer holidays.
Jones-Evans: We don’t have money to repair it
Speaking at a cabinet meeting on Thursday night, Councillor Julie Jones-Evans, the economy, regeneration, culture and leisure lead, said work has started in the front part of the building — allowing the cafe to open for takeaways and people to play golf once again.
She said,
“Unfortunately, the state of the building is that many tens, going into the hundreds of thousands of pounds, is needed to repair it, which we don’t have.
“We have taken a pragmatic approach to have the front open, it will look alive again with the beautiful front of the building.”
Brown’s has been a popular attraction in Sandown since it opened nearly a hundred years ago, in 1932, but with regeneration plans for the wider Culver Parade and Yaverland in the making for some years, there had been doubts about its future.
Jones-Evans: Some bigger opportunities going on
After the meeting, Cllr Jones-Evans said the new managers are happy to run Brown’s for now until a solution can be found for the rest of the area.
She said,
“There is so much going on, some bigger opportunities, we didn’t want to spend the money, which we don’t have, to do the back of the building, when there could be a longer-term solution.”
Previous managers, Kate and Geoff Scandrett, took on the attraction in 2021, but handed back the keys in April after they turned down a five-year lease option.
Yaverland Plan
A ‘Yaverland Plan’ is currently being drafted, following stakeholder engagement consultations in the past few weeks, which would set out the potential future of the seaside frontage.
This article is from the BBC’s LDRS (Local Democracy Reporter Service) scheme, which News OnTheWight is taking part in. Some alterations and additions may have been made by OnTheWight. Ed
