Cliff face cafe not for sale, says council

A council says it will not sell a seafront cafe, despite earlier discussions over the future of the building.

North Norfolk District Council had considered selling the Rocket House in Cromer, which has faced problems with damp, but later dismissed the idea due to ongoing costs involved.

Last year, the authority committed to spending more than £1m on repairs to the property, which is built into a cliff face.

The leaseholders of the cafe are now being asked to pay more in rent as part of a new lease agreement.

The Rocket House is home to the cafe, the Royal National Lifeboat Institution's (RNLI) Henry Blogg Museum and public toilets.

The restaurant, which opened in 2006, has helped make the Rocket House a Cromer tourist destination.

It is hoped the renegotiated rental agreement will bring cash into the council's coffers, while securing the future of the cafe.

Liberal Democrat cabinet members at the district council will meet next week to discuss the property's future.

The Rocket House was built in 2006 and was funded partly through EU regeneration grants.

It has been undergoing extensive repairs after facing chronic damp issues and a new floor has been installed in the cafe.

The new rental agreement comes as the museum, which sits on the building's ground floor, remains closed until further renovation work is carried out.

Much of the ground floor was damaged by storm surges in 2007 and 2013.

However, the costs of maintaining the landmark building have proved controversial, with critics calling it a "monumental mistake" due to the risks of damage from the sea.

This article was written by a trusted journalist and then edited for length and style with the help of AI, before being checked again by a BBC Journalist. It's part of a pilot.

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