Locally-produced food and drink will be at the heart of a transformation of one of Cromer’s landmark buildings. 

The Seaview building in North Lodge Park is set to become a bistro, following a successful bid from the charity About With Friends to take over its lease.

Jamie Moses, the charity’s operations director, said: “We are looking to turn it into a licenced bistro providing quality meals and fine wines. 

“Everything will be locally sourced - the wines will be Norfolk wines and the gins will be Norfolk gins. All our ingredients and produce will come from local farms. We’re aiming to showcase one supplier a month.”

The front of the building used to house North Lodge Park Tea Rooms, and later North Lodge Cafe, which was open for six weeks last summer. 

About With Friends plans to reopen that section as a cafe “within weeks”.

It will take at least six months to create a bistro in the part of the building that housed Seaview nursery until its closure in 2019.

Public toilets in another part of the building will be relocated to the tennis court area of the park.

Mr Moses said the venue would be staffed by qualified caterers and chefs, and would offer training and employment to people with learning disabilities, which is one of the charity’s main goals. 

He added: “We are not looking at this as being any sort of pub - this is going to be a licenced bistro for quiet evenings out.”

As well as daytime openings, Mr Moses said they hoped to open the bistro on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings. 

At a meeting on Monday (March 6), councillors on North Norfolk District Council's cabinet all backed the bid ahead of nine other proposals - with only council leader Tim Adams abstaining. 

Although details were not discussed at the meeting, it is understood one of the other bids was for a nursery. 

Speaking in favour of the bistro plan, councillor Richard Kershaw said: “It’s not just money, it's about the value to the community.

“This will be a community benefit, I think it would sit well in our portfolio and help with the regeneration of Cromer and North Lodge Park.”