THE owners of a Weymouth harbourside café are asking to convert it back into a home.

Their application to Dorset Council says that business, previously Mallams, at 5 Trinity Road, had declined, and has been made worse by the Covid pandemic.

If approved it will mean little changes to the building, on the south side of the harbour,  which was originally two cottages dating from the early 18th century.

The majority of the existing building is already in use as accommodation on the first and second floors. The adjoining cafe has already been converted back to a home.

An agent’s letter to the council says: “The market for restaurants in the town has dropped off in recent years and the large number of cafes has made the business unviable especially with the recent Covid 19 epidemic. The south side of the harbour is in shade for most of the day making the north side more attractive. The applicant is therefore proposing that the whole of the building reverts back to a single dwelling.”

It says that the neighbouring property, 4 Trinity Road, was also a restaurant and that has already received permission to be converted back into a home.

Internal changes will include removing a partition between the ground floor toilets to allow the space to be used as a utility room.