FAST food fans are hoping a beloved seafront burger bar will be rebuilt after the building was torn down two years after a fire which gutted the restaurant.
A blaze tore through Wimpy on Southend seafront in January 2022, with firefighters blaming the incident on arsonists.
The restaurant in Marine Parade had become an eyesore with its burnt-out remains sitting largely untouched ever since.
But last month, workers were spotted at the eatery for “the first time in months”, with a demolition and recycling company spotted outside the torched restaurant.
The once popular Wimpy, next to the Neptunes fish restaurant, has now completely disappeared from the seafront with nothing to suggest it was ever there.
Resident Kim Pleasant is among the disappointed diners left saddened by the loss of Wimpy.
“Hopefully they’ll rebuild it,” she said.
Darren Newell added: “Oh no, I used to take my kids to that one when they were younger. No more Wimpy as I don’t really go into town much.”
Southend resident Andrew Nead fears the loss of the Wimpy site will leave a “gaping hole” in the seafront.
There are currently no active planning applications associated with the address and Southend Council hasn’t granted planning permission for any projects there since it was decimated by the fire.
The popular fast food chain still has a restaurant in the Victoria Centre in Southend, as well as a presence in Hamlet Court Road, Westcliff, and trendy Leigh Broadway.
What happened at Wimpy in Southend?
Its seafront site was forced to close after a blaze took hold of the restaurant in the early hours of January 16, 2022.
Firefighters rushed to the scene after Essex County Fire and Rescue Service’s control room received several calls from concerned onlookers.
At the time, firefighters confirmed both floors of the building were completely alight, while the blaze also took hold of half of the roof.
The fire service previously said it believed the fire “was started deliberately” and Essex Police urged witnesses to come forward to assist its inquiries.
Wimpy previously declined to comment further on the future of the site.
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