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.
