Beachside pub’s £6.5m redevelopment plan ‘looks like it was inspired by radiator’

Plans to revamp a historic beachside pub that burned down look as though they were “inspired by a radiator”, residents have said.

Osborne View, an upmarket pub on Hill Head beach in Fareham, Hampshire, was destroyed by fire earlier this year.

New £6.5 million plans to revamp the site have been unveiled showing a glass-fronted building to replace the original, which dated back more than 100 years.

But nearby residents have likened the look to a magistrates’ court, a corporate HQ, a prison, a bunker and a radiator.

Osborne View was built in the Victorian era and during the 1960s, Sir Alf Ramsey – the manager who guided England to victory in the 1966 World Cup – was a regular.

It is also believed members of the Armed Forces used to attend meetings there during the Second World War, and some of their boats were stored underneath.

The fire, in February, was caused by an electrical fault in a tumble dryer. Afterwards, many residents expressed concern that the site would be bought by developers and transformed into houses or flats.

Last month, Hall & Woodhouse, the brewery company that ran the site before the fire, lodged plans to construct a replacement pub and restaurant.

But the new look has sparked a backlash from residents, with one saying: “Whilst we were originally very pleased that the Osborne View was going to be rebuilt, and imagined it would be a bit more modern than the original, we did not envisage this futuristic monstrosity. This is Hillhead, not the South of France or Spain – it is an eyesore on the lovely coastal location.”

Another said the design has “little architectural merit” and is “gross to the point of being ugly”, while another remarked that the plan looks like “barracks or a power station” and “nothing like an English pub”, while a further response said that the “architect was inspired by a radiator”.

However, one supporter of the application said if approved, the new site will be a “significant enhancement to the previous pub”.

They said: “This time, there appears to be properly designed facilities to cater for the vast numbers of visitors that will flock to this pub with such a tremendous view of the Solent.”

A spokesman for Hall & Woodhouse said: “The proposals involve a replacement, standalone pub and restaurant to be operated by Hall and Woodhouse.

“The replacement building will comprise the same floor space as the previous building. However, it will incorporate a refreshed design to better reflect the operational requirements of a modern-day public house and restaurant.

“The redevelopment of the site rationalising staircases, removing half levels and improving the efficiency of food and drink delivery through the creation of a central core.

“It also enabled Hall and Woodhouse to create a new building that could maximise sea views in a contemporary and modern style that matches the spirit of other recent developments along the seafront.”

Fareham Borough Council is set to make a decision on the plans in January.