A FORMER council-run café looks set to get a new lease of life, with plans for a fish and chip restaurant.

Lenny Carr-Roberts, who owns The Fox in Crawley and The Bugle in Twyford, has lodged a premise license for Eighteen71 in The Guildhall, alongside his business partner Kevin Watson.

Mr Carr-Roberts is well-known for the way he resurrected The Bugle Inn and re-opened The Fox in October 2018.

Now he has turned his attention to the city centre café and plans to open a “smart” fish and chip restaurant within the unit.

He said: “The venue will become a traditional smart family fish and chip restaurant. That will also have a takeaway area, using sustainable local caught Solent fish.”

Earlier this year, Winchester City Council announced that it was cutting ties with the café and has since been in talks with external companies to take on the premises.

It previously announced that in recent times the café has seen a fall in customers and drop in profits.

Mr Carr-Roberts and Mr Watson, under the name of Saxon Gate FC Ltd, has submitted a new premise license.

The application says that the restaurant could open between 9am and midnight Monday to Sunday, it is also looking to sell alcohol during the same times.

Live music could also be played between 6pm and 10pm Monday to Sunday.

Mr Carr-Roberts added: “I aspire for it to become the best value and best rated restaurant in Winchester along with my other two restaurants The Bugle Inn and The Fox.”

A £130,000 remodelling of Eighteen71 was due to take place to convert the space into a self-contained unit, but a planning application has not yet been submitted.

To view the premise license application, go to www.winchester.gov.uk/licences.

Chris Bickle, director in Savills’ Licensed Leisure team is advising the council on the letting process.