A POPULAR Penarth cafe will close this summer after 13 years of being in the town.

The Blue Pelican Café, which is based in Hamptons in Ludlow Lane, will close its doors.

Owners Andy Bradshaw and Peter Knowles have been working with the Reid family of Penarth on the redevelopment of the former Sully Inn which opens soon as The Boat House – a contemporary café, bar and restaurant. As partners in The Boat House, the duo have decided to devote their energies to the new venture and have decided to close their current cafe.

“We’re thrilled to be involved in the creation, set up and running of The Boat House” said Mr Knowles.

“It’s a huge undertaking and we’re realistic about how much of our time it’s going to require. Whilst we’d love to be superhuman we know we can’t do everything.

"We’ve therefore decided to close the café at Hamptons so we can focus on The Boat House as well as continuing to run the Hamptons store, Shore on the seafront, our interior design business and our new store in Cowbridge, West Hampton, which also opens this summer”.

The Hamptons store in Ludlow Lane will take on a fresh new look as part of the change. There will be larger collections of lighting, prints and soft furnishings together with new occasional furniture, mirrors, kitchenware and home accessories.

“This is a new beginning rather than an ending," said Mr Bradshaw.

"We hope that all of the friends we have made over the past 13 years will continue to enjoy shopping at Hamptons and also come to see us in our new home at The Boat House.”

Many of the staff from the café at Hamptons will move to The Boat House when it opens so Hamptons regulars will see some familiar faces when they visit.

The Boat House Facebook page will have regular updates about its development as work progresses towards the opening.