New restaurant Harveys Bar and Kitchen on Weymouth Esplanade seeks permission to remove dancefloor

Once open the business is expected to create twenty new jobs.

The building, once the Boombox, which closed in 2018, will also be getting a new name - Harvey’s Bar and Kitchen, harking back to the 18th century when the building was Harvey’s Library and Assembly Rooms.

It has also been home to the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, and another nightclub - Dusk - in the intervening years.

Dorset Council is now looking at a planning consent for the Grade 2 listed building to change the use of the basement and ground floor from a night club, to a restaurant.

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Work on the overall conversion project has already started included repairs to the roof, part of which collapsed when the former nightclub was in action.

Said one of the planning application papers: “The change of use from a night-club to a restaurant will result in a more neighbourly use. Converting this building will help to ensure a long term use for the listed building but still retain important features whilst not causing any serious harm to the remaining original fabric....Maintaining the building in use will contribute to the prosperity of the local economy and continue the vitality of the town centre conservation area. The best way of securing the upkeep of historic buildings is to keep them in active use and economically viable if they are to survive.”

It was formerly Boombox Nightclub

Weymouth town council has raised no objection to the changes.

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The alterations being proposed include improvements to the toilets and central south lobby, the retention of remaining flag stones in a passageway as a feature and replacing the current bar on the ground floor.  

The dance floor to the rear of the building is to be divided with stud walls to create a new kitchen, wash up area, office and dry storage room.

The kitchen extract flue will be routed up into the redundant first floor ladies toilet area to exit through the south wall ensuring no extraction onto New Street.

Major work is underway at the building

A planning advisor has told Dorset Council that the proposals are minor and any alterations to the upper floors will be subject to further applications.

Public comment on the application, ref number WP/21/00136/FUL, on the Dorset Council website, are open until June 3rd.