Lancaster City Council's planning committee will review the plans for a 23-bedroomed hotel, restaurant and wine bar on the land at their meeting on Monday.

Entrepreneur Chris Tudor-Whelan, of Tudor-Whelan Property Holdings, wants to demolish the existing buildings of 49 and 51 North Road, and replace them with a three-storey hotel.

This would be connected by a two storey link to the Listed warehouse building at number 47, which would be converted into a restaurant and wine bar.

In 2000, planning permission was granted to Tudor-Whelan Property Holdings to convert the buildings into a restaurant and bar. However, the plans were never implemented. Two years later permission was again granted for alterations and extensions to the single-storey night club.
And in 2004, plans were approved to convert the building into a two-storey nightclub. Again no building work commenced.

Planning permission is now expected to be granted on Monday subject to conditions that the buildings and their frontages are in keeping with the surrounding area.

Chris Tudor-Whelan's company is currently refurbishing The Royal Hotel in Kirkby Lonsdale and was behind the Knights-bridge housing development on the Lancaster canal.

n Seattle company Starbucks wants to open a coffee shop in Lancaster.
Proposals to open a cafe at 19 Market Street – in the former Specsavers premises – were submitted to the city council this week.

The cafe would be just doors away from competitors Caffe Nero.

Meanwhile, rival coffee chain Costa Coffee will soon be opening in Morecambe at the former Crescent cafe in Marine Road.