A restaurant owner behind plans for a high-end beach-front venue says it will be open by next Easter despite district planners refusing the proposal.

Paul Glicksman, who runs Paul's Bistro in Westgate-on-Sea , insists his new venture at St Mildred's Bay will be going ahead once he has changed the opening hours to appease the local authority.

The businessman intends to transform the current building into a glass-fronted restaurant and bar, with views across the beach, and is investing £200,000 in the ambitious project.

Restrictions on selling alcohol were lifted by Thanet council's licensing committee in June, but a change of use application has now been refused.

In a report, council officers say the site's close proximity to residential properties and the opening hours - 10am to midnight Monday to Saturday and until 11.30pm on Sundays - would "give rise to unacceptable levels of noise and disturbance".

There were also 18 letters of objection and concerns by the authority's environmental health team about the impact on neighbours just 10 metres away, and the noise coming from the courtyard attached to the building.

But Mr Glicksman, who has also just taken over Frederick's Tearooms in Westgate, says his application looks likely to go through once he has made a fresh application with an earlier closing time.

"All the building work has been approved; it's just the hours they've refused and so I'm amending these to 9am to 11pm," he said.

"We're hoping that work will start some time in November and we'll be open by Easter."

Mr Glicksman says the new restaurant will be civilised and sophisticated.

"The whole of the front will be glass, so people will have views out to sea," he said.

"It will predominantly be a seafood restaurant and we'll be pitching ourselves at the higher end.

"We'll be serving fish, king prawns, lobster, steaks - a bit of everything. We'll also be serving drinks as it will be a bar, too."

Mr Glicksman says he has experience successfully running a restaurant and believes the addition will be a credit to Westgate.

But numerous concerns were raised about the impact it will have on that quiet area of Westgate, which is right next to the beach,

Some neighbours, who live just metres from the building, currently St Mildred's Bay Café, voiced fears over the impact it will have on the quiet community living there.

Thanet council's environmental health team also raised issues, stating the opening hours are excessive for the location and called for restrictions to be put in place.

Officers asked that the outside courtyard area be closed to patrons after 9pm.

Kent Police also raised concerns about anti-social behaviour and vandalism and asked that secure shutters be fitted to the property.

Mr Glicksman, however, insists it will be in line with his other establishment and there will not be any trouble at the venue.

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