The New Bookshop, Cockermouth set to expand café as plans approved

Plans were submitted to Cumberland council late last year for to change the use of the first and second floors of the New Bookshop on Main Street in Cockermouth from residential properties- to allow the expansion of the café at the popular town centre business.

Following the plans being approved by Cumberland council, Louise Heaton owner of The New Bookshop said that they hope for work to begin on the extension later this year.

Speaking about the project, she said: "It will give us more tables, more seating area and more storage, and it will mean that we won't have to have people sitting in the bookshop as much- and hopefully we won't have to turn people away as much because we are full.

"It's exciting, but it is very early days, we have only just got the planning and we are just at the point where now that we know we can."

The café was added by the previous owners of The New Bookshop a number of years ago, with the thinking that cafés do well alongside book shops- and has become a popular 'go-to' for locals meeting up, or heading out for a coffee.

Louise said: "I think we are a bit of a community hub really, we are a regular meeting place for lots of people, we have lots of regulars who come in almost every day as well, it's just very social, a good place for people to meet.

"Our staff really remember people and look after them and I think sometimes its nice to be able to come in and see familiar faces, they know that our staff will look after them and remember them from the last time they were in."

The expansion may mean that the café needs to employ another person to cope with demand, the the extension seen as being a positive step for the future of the business.

Plans were granted with conditions by the planning department on Cumberland Council on January, 8.