THE manager of the Hillcrest Cafe at the Devil's Punch Bowl in Hindhead will continue his fight to run the popular transport cafe, despite the submission of plans this week by the National Trust to convert it into a tearoom.

Peter Koritsas, who has run the cafe for seven years, said: "We are still fighting to keep the cafe open as it is. I know the plans were submitted this week, but as far as I am concerned it is business as usual until I hear otherwise.

"We have not been given a date to quit yet and at this stage we don't even know whether the planning application will be approved."

He added: "We will not give up on our battle, and our next step will be to take the matter to court."

The lease on the cafe, which Mr Koritsas took over in 1992, expired in 1996, but instead of drawing up a new tenancy agreement, the National Trust offered to "carry over" Mr Koritsas' existing lease.

Mr Koritsas, who was served notice to quit from the end of last year by the National Trust, has always opposed the plans to turn the cafe into a tearoom.

In November he organised a protest, attended by lorry drivers, coach companies and regular visitors to the Devil's Punch Bowl, to save the cafe, claiming that "nobody wanted to see the cafe turned into a tearoom" and that "it would not be for the benefit of the people but for the benefit of the National Trust".

Although Mr Koritsas has been offered "statutory compensation" by the National Trust, he has described the figure as "a joke".

Visitors to the Devil's Punch Bowl have also been disappointed to find no toilet facilities on site.

Both the permanent toilet block and a temporary "superloo" at the Hillcrest Cafe site were closed by Waverley Borough Council last year, which the National Trust said had given them the opportunity to improve the visitors' facilities at Hindhead.

The trust said it had always been keen to provide a "more attractive, informative and fitting welcome" with the increasing number of visitors to the beauty spot.

The trust has promised the plans will include new toilets. The redevelopment will also include landscaping the car park and providing information boards for visitors.

The plan, which was submitted to Waverley Borough Council this week, is for the "erection of an extension following the demolition of existing single-storey open structures at the site" and will be discussed by the planning committee next month.

The National Trust was unable to provide further details of the plans as The Herald went to press.