A popular quayside cafe looking out at one of Suffolk's best-known riverside views is to have a new building as part of an improvements project.
There has been a cafe at Ferry Quay in Woodbridge for seven decades and the latest, the Caravan Cafe, has been a popular venue with residents and visitors alike.
Now the site owners have been granted consent by East Suffolk Council to replace the caravan with a new building and seating deck - a contemporary version of the caravan.
The cafe is currently closed and on its Facebook site, managers said they were looking forward to being back open as soon as possible.
Woodbridge Quay Company said: "The café has had to adapt since 2020 due to the pandemic, and as a result the outdoor scaffold seating area has been provided to encourage customers to continue using the facility.
"This solution is adequate in the summer months, but in the winter months there is no outdoor covered seating.
"The indoor seating area is limited, and customers have been reluctant to dine in and sit at tables close to each other. As a result, the business has suffered, making it financially unviable.
"The main drive behind the current application, therefore, is to provide a spacious, open, outdoor, and sheltered seating area, to encourage customers to continue visiting the café and feel safe while they dine."
The proposal is to demolish the existing building, and replace it with a new building, with a kitchen with a serving hatch and a covered outdoor seating area. The building would be raised up to provide protection against any possible flood water.
Woodbridge Quay Company added: "The new building/sheltered seating will allow the business to re-open and continue to trade all year round, hopefully making it a viable business once more."
The history of the cafe, just over the level crossing at the rear of the railway station, stretches back to the 1950s, though it has been rebuilt many times.
Council planning case officer Mark Brands said the design was of "good visual appearance" and would make a positive contribution to the quayside area and local economy.
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