Plans Submitted to Reopen Former Newton Rigg Café as New Eatery, Shop and Deli

Plans have been submitted to Westmorland and Furness Council to breathe new life into the former Newton Rigg College refectory building, with proposals to reopen it as a café and restaurant – complete with a small shop and deli selling local produce and daily essentials.

The application,submitted by the Leo Group, is seeking permission to refurbish and modernise the existing building known as Brambles, which has stood unused since the college closed in 2021. The proposals include modest alterations to improve accessibility, such as upgraded access steps, a new lift, and a reconfigured entrance foyer, preparing the site for its new role as a community hub for food, drink and local goods.

According to the plans, the reopened café and restaurant would serve the growing number of occupiers and visitors at the Newton Rigg Estate, alongside the wider public. The redevelopment forms part of a wider programme of regeneration at the estate, which has become home to a diverse range of new tenants and enterprises since its sale by Askham Bryan College in 2021.

Current occupiers include established local firms expanding into the site, new business arrivals to Penrith, specialist education providers, and organisations such as The World Owl Trust, Fiburs, and Eden FM, which operates its community radio studio and transmission base from the estate.

While formal education use at Newton Rigg ceased in 2021, much of the new activity at the site continues to support education, training and employment opportunities that benefit the wider local economy.

The new owners of Newton Rigg have also invested heavily in the estate’s sports facilities, ensuring they remain accessible to the public. The all-weather pitches were re-laid with modern 3G surfacing in 2022, and planning permission has recently been granted for new padel courts.

Other regeneration developments of the site include a 57-bedroom hotel that is been created through the modernisation and reconfiguration of former student accommodation blocks, catering to both business and tourism visitors.

The combination of these developments has created a need and opportunity for reopening the former refectory to provide food and drink facilities for hotel guests, sports users and on-site workers along with a small shop and deli.

Plans also hint at future potential to establish an events venue in another buiding attached to the café and restaurant, which could further enhance Newton Rigg’s role as a thriving multi-use destination on the edge of Penrith.