"Real progress" being made for new-look Hill Head pub as rebuild continues after devastating fire - pictures
The pub burnt down in 2024
A picture shows progress being made for the opening of a pub that was ravaged by fire.
The Osborne View pub in Hill Head burnt down in February 2024 before receiving planning permission for redevelopment last year with work underway for it to reopen next year.
Owners of the pub, Hall and Woodhouse, previously submitted plans to Fareham Borough Council to install 10 new signs on the building, which is being rebuilt following the blaze.
Pictures from the scene last week shows construction work taking place with the scene fenced off and the new-look pub beginning to take shape.
Mark James, property director at Hall & Woodhouse, said earlier this year the finish line was in sight. He said: ”The rebuild of The Osborne View is progressing well and we’re on track for its reopening early next year.”
In the application for new signage, Elizabeth Godfrey, assistant planner, said they will be installed across the building and in the car park, adding that it is “crucial to highlight the presence of the pub”.
She said: “It is considered that the proposed signage and design is high quality, in keeping within the surrounding area and is of an appropriate size and setting.
“It is therefore considered that the signage is appropriate for the location and will not provide visual clutter. Additionally, whilst some external lighting is proposed, this is minimal.”
In a letter to the council, the regional brewery said the signs will be made of steel and acrylic.
Six of the signs will “feature internal illumination” to provide a “warm white glow”.
The proposals were approved by Fareham Borough Council on April 17.
The new signs can be displayed on the Osborne View for a total of five years, under several conditions.
One of the conditions is ensuring that the signs are maintained so they do not “impair the visual amenity of the site”. The signs cannot endanger anyone using a highway, railway, waterway, dock, harbour or aerodrome.
This application was submitted only months after Hall & Woodhouse applied to move the proposed four-storey building with restaurant staff accommodation and pub 50cm forward towards the beach. This was approved by the borough council.
The changes incorporated into the revised plans included alterations to the entrance lobby, the addition of ventilation grilles, and the removal of doorways, which were also approved.