POPULAR Penarth cafe Willmore's 1938 has announced they are moving to a site at the Cliff Tops.

The family-owned business had previously operated on Stanwell Road for the past five years, but had to vacate the property and close on December 23.

They managed to secure a lease for the council-owned land at the Cliff Tops that will last at least five years.

The new site will aim to be carbon-neutral and will include electric vehicle charging points and an array of solar panels.

It will be quite a small venue, with a kiosk, outdoor seating and a secret garden.

It is slated to open in April.

The announcement was made by the cafe on social media

Matt Holland, who runs the business with his partner Charlotte Court, said: "Getting through the pandemic has been one of the hardest things, being a small business holder,  for staff and everything else that we've had to get through and we've had great support from the Vale of Glamorgan and Penarth town council as well.

"This situation we're in now is great, we're happy we can retain our staff, move forward, and hopefully be open as soon as possible.

"We've got we've got this great new opportunity at the Cliff Tops which we're really excited about and we get to retain our staff and we've got some really good staff who work for us and we want to keep those guys on board. 

"We can continue to do what we love doing, which is running the coffee shop and being part of the community, which we love and enjoy, and we'd be able to do more charity stuff which we've done loads in the past."

While the new site is being prepared, the business will continue to operate a van that is based in Cosmeston.

Once the site is built, the van will remain operational and there are plans to introduce another one in the future due to the success and popularity of the current van.

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When the Cliff Top venue opens, the owners will donate 10 per cent of the income to a charity of their choice.

As part of an agreement with the council, there will be six outdoor events held annually at the venue.

Plans are not confirmed yet, but there is likely to be a Christmas fair and events based around street food and classic cars with local businesses being the focus.

Mr Holland said: "We are forward thinking we're not sort of people just to sit back, rest and give up.

"We got this opportunity with the council and we grabbed it.

"So we are really committed to that and we're looking forward to it."