Plans have been lodged with Northumberland County Council to demolish the Fish Shack in Amble and replace it with a purpose-built new restaurant building on the harbourside site.
The popular seafood venue, featured by the Hairy Bikers in the 2021 BBC series The Hairy Bikers Go North and visited by Harrison Ford while he was filming the latest Indiana Jones film in the North East, could undergo a major transformation under the proposals from its owners.
Purpose-built design planned
The owners, who also run the nearby Old Boat House, want to replace the “piecemeal” buildings that currently house the restaurant with “a single purpose-designed two storey building that provides an improved architectural building and restaurant offer in this established harbour-side location”.
Their planning application states: “The existing Fish Shack has evolved organically over time, comprising a series of converted container units, reclaimed boat hulls, wooden structures and outside seating. This has created a distinctive and popular destination with a unique, informal character that complements its harbourside setting.
“However, the incremental nature of this development has resulted in a fragmented internal layout which constrains operational efficiency, limits capacity, and presents ongoing maintenance challenges. As the business has grown in popularity, these constraints have become more pronounced, and the existing structures now require significant investment simply to sustain current operations.”
New building and jobs
The new restaurant planned for the Harbour Road site, on the southern bank of the river Coquet, would be constructed using prefabricated shipping containers. The Old Boat House Food Group said that an extra 10 jobs could be created through the investment.
The application also pledges that the new building would be a “high-quality, purpose-built restaurant that enhances the conservation area”.
