Locals blast £6.5m plans to rebuild historic pub once frequented by Sir Alf Ramsay as an abomination inspired by a radiator after it burned down
Locals have branded plans to rebuild a historic beachside pub that burned down an abomination - claiming the design looks like it was inspired by a radiator.
Locals have branded plans to rebuild a historic beachside pub that burned down an abomination - claiming the design looks like it was inspired by a radiator.
Osborne View - named after the residential home of Queen Victoria - was reduced to ashes when the building became engulfed by flames earlier this year.
New £6.5million radical plans to revamp the up-market pub on Hill Head beach in Fareham, Hampshire, have been unveiled - showing a glass fronted Grand Designs style building in place of the more than 100-year-old original.
And despite relief that the site wont be used for housing, many former punters have criticised the design.
Locals likened the building blueprint to a magistrates court, a corporate HQ, a prison, a bunker and even a radiator.
One neighbour wrote on the councils planning portal that the futuristic monstrosity looks like it belongs in France or Spain and not in the lovely coastal location of Hill Head.
The pub is regarded as a historical asset to locals, and in the 1960s was frequented by England football manager Sir Alf Ramsey.
Members of the armed forces used to attend meetings in the public house during World War Two, it is also believed, and some of their boats were stored underneath.
Planning documents show new proposals for the Osborne View pub in Fareham, Hampshire
The upmarket pub and restaurant (pictured before the fire) boasted Sir Alf Ramsey as a regular visitor during the 1960s
Locals have linked the new design to a magistrates court, a corporate HQ, a prison, a bunker and even a radiator
The Osborne View pub was engulfed in flames in February this year after a fire broke out
A huge fire ripped through the pub in February this year due to an electrical fault in a tumble dryer.
After the blaze, many locals expressed concern that the building would be bought by developers and transformed into a house or flats.
Last month, brewery company Hall & Woodhouse - who ran the site before the fire - lodged plans to construct a Replacement Pub And Restaurant.
But the modern look of the plans has sparked backlash from locals.
Objecting on the Fareham Borough Council portal, one neighbour wrote: 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 wrote that the new design has little architectural merit and is gross to the point of being ugly.
Other locals said the building looks way too modern, likening it to a prison or shopping centre and expressed surprise at just how radical the plans are.
Abomination, could it be made to be more outstandingly ugly, another wrote.
Some said the monstrosity will stick out like a sore thumb and asked why architects feel the need to clad everything with matchsticks.
Despite relief that the site wont be used for housing, many former punters have criticised the design
Locals said the building looks way too modern, likening it to a prison or shopping centre
Another wrote that the new design has little architectural merit and is gross to the point of being ugly
Firefighters at the scene at the Osbourne View pub in Fareham in February this year
This disdain was shared on social media. Debbie Sampson said: Not at all what I was expecting! Looks like a hotel from the beach side, more like a prison or carpark from the road!
Another remarked that the plans look like a barracks or power station and is nothing like an English pub.
Sarah Richardson said the site looks prisonesque and Nicki Silver said it looks like a magistrates court.
Meanwhile, Jonathan London said the architect was inspired by a radiator.
But the response to the designs wasnt all bad, with some residents publicly supporting the plans.
One supporter of the application said if approved, the new site will be a significant enhancement to the previous pub.
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, they wrote.
In the application to Fareham Borough Council, a spokesperson for Hall & Woodhouse said: In February 2024, the building was demolished and is currently out of use to the public, with redevelopment of the site necessary to return it to viable use.
The proposals therefore involve a replacement, standalone pub and restaurant to be operated by Hall and Woodhouse.
New plans were created to rebuild the historic beachside pub after it burned down this year
The destroyed remains of the pub after it was engulfed in flames earlier this year
Osborne View was turned to ash when the building became engulfed by flames in February
The replacement building will comprise the same floorspace 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.
Hall and Woodhouse are eager to bring this site back into viable use following events at the site in early 2024 and to replace the original building with one of a similar scale and use, but in a form that was more attractive and efficient in its use of space and means of operation.
They added: The redevelopment of the site also provided an opportunity to address some of the issues facing the previous building in terms of 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 has until January 1 to approve the plans.
Osborne View was built in the Victorian era and during the 1960s, Sir Alf Ramsey - the manager who guided England to victory at the 1966 World Cup - was a regular.
It is named after Osborne House - the residential home of HM Queen Victoria - which can be seen from the pub on a clear day across the Solent on the Isle of Wight.
