A cafe is set to reopen just five months after it was closed.

Barton’s Point, a 40-acre coastal park between Minster and Sheerness, once hosted The Boathouse Cafe – a small eatery overseeing the park’s nearby boating lake.

The cafe stopped serving customers in December when the 10-year concession with previous park operator Mandy Shade came to an end and its licence was not renewed.

It has remained closed ever since, sparking concerns it was to remain that way permanently.

But now, the restaurant is to reopen in the coming weeks under a new operator who will take over the cafe and the park, including the site’s lake, car park and children’s playground.

Councillor for Sheppey Central, Elliott Jayes, says the cafe will attract visitors from the Island and beyond once it reopens.

The Swale Independents’ representative said: "The cafe is undergoing a new lease process which I hope will conclude soon so we can get this fantastic asset back up to its full potential.

“The previous lease finished in the winter, so we believe that reopening and improving it will make the area a better destination, not just for locals, but for tourists as well, especially with the cafe already being so popular when it was last here.”

A spokesman for Swale council added: “The existing operator did not bid for the new operation, so there has been a gap in provision whilst we progress negotiations with the shortlisted operators.

“We are in the final stages of agreeing the details and will be announcing further details soon, however we cannot do so at the moment due to commercial sensitivity.”

As well as the cafe, visitors who use the park for kite flying, orienteering and water sports have also been without toilets and a shower block at the site since they were knocked down last year for refurbishment – a job Swale council says is also edging closer to being completed.

The refurbishment, which will cost the council £148,108, is part of a joint-contract at both Sheerness Beachfields and Barton’s Point and is expected to finish within the next two months.

Further developments as part of the council’s ongoing public realm improvements for the Island, are also on the cards.

A spokesman added: “The final stage of improvements has started with the park improvements funded by the government’s ‘Levelling Up Parks’ fund.

“This has included new trees planted over the winter and will see improved signage, picnic benches and lake bank repairs in the near future.”

Last year, Barton’s Point won an £85,000 government grant as part of their ‘Levelling Up Parks’ fund – money which will also be used to regenerate the site’s entrance to its car park.