Plans to develop a popular family restaurant in Mumbles into a wedding venue and spa hotel have taken a step forward.
In December it was revealed that the family-run Castellamare restaurant in Limeslade had drawn up proposals to redevelop the premises , by demolishing the exisiting restaurant, cafe bar and function room, and replacing it with the new development.
The business currently features a cafe bar with 140 seats inside and 200 outside, serving up pizzas, pastas, ice creams and more, along with a 120 seater A La Carte Italian restaurant.
It is located with enviable views over Bracelet Bay and in the shadow of Mumbles Lighthouse.
Brothers Christian and Alex Di Iulio submitted a pre-application to Swansea Council outlining their proposals, which have now been accepted in principle by the authority.
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Alex Di Iulio said: “The pre-application was just to test the water to see if the general idea of redevelopment would be accepted.
“The council has approved the pre-application which means they are happy to have something here.
“The next step is for us to look at developing our plans, with costs and designs.
“We are looking forward to exploring those aspects, but we want customers to know that nothing is going to change for us in the short term
“And we’ll definitely be keeping an element of the restaurant and cafe in the final plans.”
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Castellamare has been trading for 20 years. It was developed on the site of the former Neptune’s and Captain Benbows night spots, which for many years was the climax of the fabled Mumbles Mile .
The Di Iulio family were also behind Vesuvio’s restaurant in Landore, which was believed to the first wood-fired pizza oven in Swansea.
But it has recently sold the business, which continues to trade, after 25 years.
The plans follow the approval by Swansea's planning committee to approve proposals to develop the nearby Mumbles Pier headland and foreshore.
That application is for 69 hotel rooms in a five-storey building, with 26 foreshore flats, and an extended boardwalk.
