Business as usual as cafe family plan redevelopment

John, his wife Christine and their sons Luigi, Carmine and Pasquale celebrated 25 years of ownership of Di Paolo's Cafe in 2006.

The business had been founded by Luigi Capaldi in 1946 as the Criterion. It's speciality is traditional Italian ice cream, made on the premises.

But despite successive refurbishments and improvements over the years, the building is well over a century old and, says John, it is time to look to the future and think of building a new Di Paolo's Cafe on the site.

If planning permission is grantedwork could take over a year during which the business would have to operate out of rented premises elsewhere. But, says John, whatever the outcome of the planning application, Di Paolo's will continue.

He says: "This place was built around 1890 by the De La Warr Estate. We enlarged it to the rear in 1990 by adding on the restaurant. We have done several refurbishments.

"But it is still a very old building."

His son, Luigi, is currently helping run the business.

"Hopefully, we would like to see Luigi as the fourth-generation of the family to run the place. He is currently involved in the business and we would like to ensure that it was going on but obviously to do that you need the tools for the job in the 21st Century.

"We would be doing everything exactly as we are now '“ including producing our own ice cream '“ but doing it from brand-new premises built for the purpose."

The planning application seeks to refurbish the adjoining building, which contains four flats, and to demolish the cafe which has three flats above and replace it with a five-storey structure with ground floor cafe with six flats above.