Ambitious plans to create a restaurant at an East Cambridgeshire marina have been approved by the district council.
The proposal for the Fish and Duck marina involves the creation of a new single storey restaurant and function room on the junction of the Rivers Great Ouse, Cam and Old West.
It is the latest re-development of the marina, at Pope’s Corner, Little Thetford, that began in October 2011 when it was taken on by Davina and James Harvey.
The marina business is now owned and managed by Duncan Simmonds and Tracey Tiley in conjunction with the Harveys who have jointly put together the application now approved by East Cambridgeshire District Council.
Local councillor Bill Hunt had told the council ahead of its decision that “I must and will keep an open mind.
“However from what I can see this plan has the potential to make a significant addition to the area’s visitor offering”.
New piling along a section of riverbank will prevent erosion and improve moorings for visitor boaters.
The marina says open spaces and existing trees will remain as well as the moorings that currently exist.
“New permeable hard landscaping and external seating areas are proposed to improve the marina,” they told planners.
A public house was previously located on the river front but was demolished in 2009 to allow for a replacement public house to be built.
The site sits on the outskirts of Little Thetford, and is just a short drive from Stretham and the site is a popular mooring location for people using the river.
The owners say their plans will “transform an unused area of the marina into an attractive destination for users of the river as well as local people and tourists”.
The access road into the proposed site will be from the existing entrance from the A1123, located to the south of the site.
The Fish & Duck Marina lies at Pope’s Corner, the point at which the two main Fenland rivers — the Cam & the Old West — join the third great Fenland River, the Great Ouse, before heading north via Ely to meet the sea at The Wash.
Pope’s Corner did not start life as a marina; instead it was the site on which stood a well-known local public house—the ‘Fish & Duck Inn’. Built in 1850 and with seven rooms and 12 stable blocks, it was of a considerable size.
The first named owner and publican of the Fish & Duck Inn was Richard Pope and the river junction ‘Pope’s Corner’ still bears his name today.
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