Plans to turn an empty shop into a glamorous New York style bar have been scuppered due to issues with the Victorian property's listed building status. The proposals to transform the former French Connection shop in Victoria Street into cocktail bar Manahatta were first revealed in March last year.
However, after a planning wrangle over internal changes to the Grade II listed building, the company behind the plans, Arc Inspirations, has pulled out. The grand building, between Delilah Fine Food and Goldsmiths' jewellery shop, was built in 1895 as a bank, with a high ceiling and granite pillars inside.
The shop closed in January 2020 when the lease expired and has been vacant ever since. Manahatta would have stayed open until the early hours and as well as drinks, the bar would have served food and bottomless brunches. Although these proposals have fallen through, the company is still on the look-out for an alternative property in the city centre.
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The company, which posted record figures last year, will still be pressing ahead with further plans to open its sports bar concept BOX in the former All Saints building in Thurland Street. The two Nottingham bars would have been amongst five new UK sites bringing 500 new jobs in total.
A spokesperson for Arc Inspirations said: “We have taken the decision to withdraw our application to open Manahatta on Victoria Street. Despite the support of the council and positive discussions with the Listed Buildings Team, there were some issues with the building’s listed status that we were unable to resolve.
"We’re disappointed not to be able to proceed with our plans, however we are looking forward to making our debut in Nottingham later this year with the opening of our award-winning sports bar concept, BOX. The new site on Thurland Street will create 100 jobs in the area, and we will continue to search for a suitable location in the city for Manahatta.”
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