New plans have been revealed to turn part of a historic sea shelter earmarked for a restaurant and yoga studio into a two-bedroom home.

The Victorian Waterloo Shelter, which sits alongside the Broadstairs Funicular, is being knocked down after plans to create the divisive development featuring a seafood restaurant and fitness studio were approved in April 2021.

But now, new plans which appeared on Thanet District Council's website last month show the site could become a two-storey home.

Drawings suggest it would have a lounge, dining area and kitchen on the first floor while two bedrooms, gallery play space and the bathrooms would be on the ground floor.

Designs for the home proposal show it falls within the area originally earmarked for a restaurant and yoga studio. It is not clear if these plans still stand.

The site in Viking Bay was a cliff-side railway lift that took people down to the beach.

But it closed in 1991, and has subsequently become “completely derelict” and fallen victim to vandalism.

To prepare the site for development, diggers have now rolled in and flattened the Victorian shelter, which had been there since 1910.

If the restaurant goes ahead, pillars from the old shelter are due to be incorporated into the new design, which will “retain the open look of the shelter, clearly hinting at its past use while bringing it confidently into the present”.

Developer Justin van Oortmerssen previously claimed the restaurant would “stand alone from the neighbouring structures by introducing modern design elements while ensuring that the proposal does not contradict any of the structures within the conservation area”.

As well as creating 15 jobs, the developer claimed the scheme would “reduce derelict and anti-social behaviour, which is thriving on this site at present”.

They added: “The site is being used as a toilet and a gathering point for drug-users, as well as open fires and obscene graffiti.

“The smell of human faeces and urine combined with that of marijuana is not a good attraction for tourists at Viking Bay and does not contribute to the seaside experience that is expected by visitors.”

Mr van Oortmerssen also owns the Funicular coffee shop, which is next door and is currently on the market.

Also to make way for the building work, 18 beach huts will be permanently relocated and 14 picnic benches will be installed in their place.

The development has split opinion, with some residents claiming it will actually lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour on the beach.