A popular Albert Square restaurant is hoping to expand and breathe new life into a Victorian listed building.
Armenian Taverna is proposing to take over the neighbouring unit in its current home of the Victoria Building, which opened in 1877. Currently, the restaurant, which has been popular with football stars, sits below ground level.
But new plans would see it repurpose the former Virgin Money bank on street level, and use that as its ‘main restaurant’. The existing site would therefore become ‘overspill’, planning documents show.
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“The overall aim of this project is to create a new ground floor bar/restaurant with disabled facilities and first floor toilet and staff facilities,” a planning statement written by Cube 8 Studio Ltd, on behalf of the restaurant, said. “The new restaurant will be an extension of the existing basement restaurant.
“The ground floor will serve as the main restaurant with the existing basement restaurant being secondary and therefore used as an overspill for customers. This new ground floor restaurant will open the way for disabled people to access and therefore experience the culinary delights of the food on offer.
“At present the basement restaurant does not provide access for disabled people due to lack of space for lift. The overall design intent is to enhance the beauty and cultural diversity on Albert Square while providing a much-needed food and beverage destination with continental style breakfast – lunch and evening meal.”
The Victoria Building opened in 1877, and is grade-II listed.
You can view the plans online.
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