Stockport's famous towering pyramid - which has stood empty for more than five years - is poised to become a top Indian restaurant and banqueting hall.
The owner of award-winning restaurant chain Royal Nawaab, famous for its food in Levenshulme for years, has confirmed talks over a deal with the owners of the structure are progressing.
Mahboob Hussain told the Manchester Evening News the company want the novel building as 'it's next home in the North West' - talks are said to be at an 'advanced stage'.
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Royal Nawaab currently has two restaurants in London, one based in the Hover Building in Ealing and another in Ilford, east London.
The Nawaab restaurant and banqueting hall on Stockport Road in Levenshulme - a hotspot for Asian cuisine since it opened on the site of a former cinema in 2003 - closed earlier this year and is now Merzee.
News of the potential deal represents a huge boost for Stockport and would breathe new life into one of Greater Manchester's most intriguing structures.
The pyramid on Yew Street - which looms large over the M60 motorway - opened its doors back in 1992, although construction began in the late eighties.
It was meant to be one of five pyramids built in the area to create Manchester's own 'Valley of Kings' along the River Mersey, a nod to ancient Egypt.
But Stockport was left with just the one pyramid after the developers went into bankruptcy. The structure went on to be repossessed by the Co-op, who had paid for its construction, and it lay empty during the first few years after its completion.
The Co-op decided to move in to set up its base of operation for its call centre in 1995, but relocated to the NONA development in Manchester city centre in 2018. It's been empty ever since, although the Royal Nawaab restaurant would be the first tenants of the building's new owner.
The Pyramid comprises of 86,000 square feet of office accommodation over five floors, with 426 on-site car parking spaces. The entire site comprises of 4.5 acres.
In May 2019, news of its purchased by a Saudi Arabian investor was confirmed, with Eamar Developments (UK) buying the building from the Co-op Bank. It went on the market the summer before with an asking price of more than £4.5m.
Mr Hussain told the M.E.N. in a statement: "At this stage, I am unable to say anything other than that Royal Nawaab is indeed considering the Pyramid as its next home in the north west.
"Our focus is on continually exploring exciting opportunities that align with our vision and values. We are dedicated to delivering exceptional experiences to our customers and contributing positively to the local community.
"As soon as there are concrete developments to share, we will be pleased to provide you with further information."
