Concerns raised over plans for cafe at historic Haslar site to sell alcohol

A waterfront cafe at a historic Gosport site is seeking permission to serve alcohol daily.

Gosport Borough Council’s licensing sub-board will meet on July 28 to decide on a new premises licence for The Coffee Quarters at Royal Haslar Waterfront Village.

The application, submitted by Maria Wilkinson, would allow the café at Trinity House to sell alcohol for consumption on and off the premises between 9am and 5pm, seven days a week. The café is currently closed on a Sunday.

Council licensing officers received the application on June 4, and several residents have since submitted comments about the proposals.

Two residents were in support of the new addition, with one describing it as a “good idea”, while another said, “bring on the bubbles”. But other residents objected, and one said the plans are a “further attempt to grow the business against the wishes of many residents”.

She added: “The café is currently closed on Sundays, a welcome respite for residents. A seven-day opening and the serving of alcohol from as early as 9am is unacceptable and unnecessary.”

Another resident said there is “no need” for a licence covering Sunday, or outside the existing opening hours.

He said: “It is not a restaurant, or a bar or a pub.”

The Coffee Quarters, which opened in summer 2025, operates as a coffee house within the historic Royal Hospital Haslar site, a former naval hospital set in more than 60 acres of grounds.

The site itself has significant heritage, with Royal Hospital Haslar recognised as the first purpose-built naval hospital in England, dating back more than 250 years.

On the café’s website, staff describe it as a welcoming community café, saying its team is “excited to welcome you to Royal Haslar Coffee Quarters”.

The licensing application comes amid wider regeneration of the Haslar waterfront, where plans were approved earlier this year for the next phase of a major mixed-use development at the site.

The scheme includes new homes, a retirement community, care facilities, a hotel and a health centre, with a large portion of Haslar already converted into homes.

Members of the licensing sub-board will consider the application and the residents’ representations before deciding whether to grant the licence, refuse it, or apply conditions.