Kensington council OKs fish and chips shop for unused smithy

Kensington town council has given its blessing for a community-owned, unused, blacksmith shop to be rented out for a fish and chips restaurant. Council voted unanimously during its Monday night meeting to move ahead with the proposal, which was put forward by Karen and Trent Murphy.

The town has set its rent for the building at $2,400 for the period between May 1 and Oct. 31, for a five-year lease agreement.

The Murphys must also assume all costs associated with converting the blacksmith shop to suit their purpose.

The building is known as the James Mullally Blacksmith Shop and is part of the town-owned Railway Complex off Broadway Street North.

Some councillors had previously voiced concerns that allowing the development could irreparably change a piece of community history, but also said they couldn’t see any other use for the building that would be practical.

The town has owned the building for many years, but it has only ever been used during special occasions and for seasonal storage.

In her correspondence with the town, Karen indicated that she was interested in displaying some of the interesting pieces of blacksmithing tools still in the building.

“It is important to us to preserve as much of the historic value of the building and its contents as possible,” she wrote.