Pittville Park could soon have a new cafe – with plans for a mobile trailer outside Pittville Pump Room to replace its former Heritage Cafe.
The Cheltenham Trust, which manages the Pump Room on behalf of its owner Cheltenham Borough Council, wants to use land next to the Grade I-listed building to site a mobile cafe, likely 'something similar to an Airstream trailer', from which to serve hot and cold food and drink.
The cafe would be provided on-site for 'a temporary period', planning consultants say, aligning with the
lease The Cheltenham Trust has for the Pump Room, which is set to expire in 2029.
It would replace the Pump Room's former Heritage Cafe – a purpose-built orangery and decking which stood for four years as a 'temporary' solution to social distancing rules during the Covid pandemic.
The cafe closed and its structure was removed after its temporary planning permission expired in November 2024, with previous applications to retain it for a longer period being refused due to its adjudged impact on the Grade I-listed building.
The new proposal includes the retention and 'over cladding' with timber panelling of portable toilets and a storage container, which have been in place since the Heritage Cafe was erected.
Tables and chairs would be set up for the cafe under the Pump Room portico and in front of the trailer where the previous orangery was, which would be taken in and out each day.
The planning statement says that 'clear financial benefits have been seen with the operation of the cafe, which has helped make the ongoing operation of Pittville Pump Room as a venue viable'.
It adds that a 'clear positive response to the cafe was seen by the public, this being showcased in the petition responses submitted with the previous applications, indicating the popularity of the cafe with users of the park and pump room.'
The public have until Tuesday 3 June 2025 to comment on the proposal through Cheltenham Borough Council's planning portal, with a decision due by Saturday 28 June 2025.
