A tasty change of retail offer in a prime location in Bourton-on-the-Water looks well on track, with a new farm shop, gelateria, café and apartments planned for the village's former model railway and craft shop.

Box Bush House, positioned centrally on the town's High Street, will see its transformation complete by the middle of next year. But as updated plans for the project are revealed, award-winning Chef Director Kuba Winkowski, who is leading the joint-investment renovation project with his wife Magdalena, told Punchline-Gloucester.com how he hopes to have the gelato, coffee and buns aspects of the business open by this July - if not sooner.

Mr Winkovski said: "By the time all the aspects of this project are operational, we would envisage 20 to 25 jobs in various roles being created. Our focus is on bringing something new and different to Bourton, in partnership with a local farm and with emphasis on sourcing from local suppliers. The gelato will be made here, not generic or mass-produced, and it will include flavours which reflect where we are, such as elderflower."

Punchline reported on the initial purchase and plans for the key tourist location in December after Box Bush House changed hands for a figure approaching £2m. The change of use will see a sandwich shop and gelateria in the front section, while a delicatessen and café will fill remaining space to the rear of the property and three letting flats will also be used to boost revenue.

Brightbox Lighting, based in Metz Way, Gloucester, have now formulated proposed design details for the signage and that aspect of the proposal is now with Cotswold District Council. Proposed exterior wall lighting is designed to illuminate from 30 minutes before dusk and will direct light onto the sign only, with no upward illumination.

Born in Gdansk, Poland, Kuba Winkowski is praised by the website Great British Chefs as one of the UK's top culinary talents and he was made National Chef of the Year in 2019 by the Craft Guild of Chefs. With experience that includes Buckingham Palace, La Gavroche and Rhodes 24, he cemented his reputation over a decade as head chef at Oxfordshire venue, The Feathered Nest.

Mr Winkowski said: "I was there for 10 years, before I decided to take a break which coincided with the Pandemic, which was such a tricky time for the industry. We have been keen to find a project like this, but it is massive - you have to take into account that it's a property that hasn't been touched in 50 years, so to bring it up to modern standards there are many aspects to improve, but it is rewarding to be taking care of such a wonderful building."

As well as sorting out an "unsightly" rear garden, a heritage statement from Cirencester-based Yiangou Architects incidated that "20th century alterations to the property have had a detrimental impact on the historic fabric and the setting of the listed building".

It added: "The modern building extensions to the rear of the property have been particularly poorly designed and built and this application includes for stripping back much of the poor construction, to expose and conserve what's left of the historic fabric of significance, and to replace demolished buildings with new structures sympathetically designed to be in keeping with the local vernacular architecture.

"The design brief was to refurbish the building to provide commercial accommodation on the ground floor, which is to include an artisanal sandwich shop and gelateria in the front section, and a Delicatessen and Cafe to the remaining retail space to the rear. The existing flat roof courtyard infill extension is to be demolished and a new extension built to accommodate the cafe and provide links through to a rear courtyard garden."