AN EXCITING planning application to transform a key seafront site into a new restaurant and pizzeria could be handed to council officers next month.

Alistair Mead, of Puxton Park and Mead Group and Giulio Ellis, who owns Giulio’s fish and chip shop in Ebdon Road, Worle and Ellis in Waterloo Street in Weston, have been granted a 125-year lease for the tourist information centre in Beach Road.

They have been meeting with council officials to finalise proposals and Mr Mead says things are running smoothly.

He said: “We had our first update meeting with the council two weeks ago and all was fine.

“We are finalising the legal agreements and hope to go for planning in December.”

The pair beat off rival bids from five other competitors, including national chains, with their plans for the Mediterranean restaurant, pizzeria and traditional ice-cream parlour.

The two-storey Weston development, designed by Grand Pier architects Angus Meek, will create jobs for up to 40 people at peak times.

The business would combine an Italian pizzeria with a traditional ice-cream parlour, with flavours created on the site using the milk of the 350-strong Jersey herd at Puxton Park on the A370.

In the evening the upper floor will be transformed into a more formal restaurant.

There are also plans for the restaurant, which took months to design, to specialise in fresh fish.

Giulio and Alistair hope to open the new restaurant in time for summer 2011, set to be run by their newly-formed The Square Pizza Ltd.

The Beach Road building will also include a visitor information point and the proposal is to run the facility on a seven-day, year-round basis.

The planning application is likely to go to the council’s west area committee for a decision.