A Penrith business is preparing to return to its historic roots, with a proposal to turn a Grade II listed building on King Street into the new home of The Toffee Shop.

The company has submitted an application to Westmorland and Furness Council seeking approval to carry out internal alterations at 3 King Street. The plans outline a transformation of the former café into a traditional shop, combined with small-scale production space and an upstairs area for pre-booked visitor experiences.

The Toffee Shop is currently based on Brunswick Road, where its famous toffee and fudge have been hand-made since 1956, using the business’s original secret recipe. The shop — which has even served royalty — was first established on King Street in 1910, and the current owners, who took over in 2022, now aim to bring it back to its original location.

If approved, the move will see the business transfer its traditional gas hobs, brass pans and hand-stirring methods to King Street, with fudge and toffee made on the ground floor. A larger retail space would also allow The Toffee Shop to introduce related products, including fudge ice cream in summer, in partnership with other local producers.

The owners are also proposing pre-booked “Toffee Shop Experiences”, offering visitors the chance to weigh, wrap and box their own products, learn about the shop’s history, and sample the range of flavours produced on site.

The business hopes the move will not only secure the next chapter in its long history, but also increase footfall both for the shop and Penrith town centre as a whole.

full details of the listed building application can be viewed and comments made to Westmorland and Furness Council https://planningregister.westmorlandandfurness.gov.uk/Planning/Display/2025/2262/LBC