THE landlord of a building which has seen three restaurants close in three years has asked for a ‘restrictive’ planning permission to be lifted to make it more attractive to more modern businesses.

Roger Lethem, who owns the building on the corner of Angel Street and Angel Place - home most recently to Panama Jacks - wants city council planners to lift an almost 20-year old planning permission which says only restaurants can open up there.

Mr Lethem wants to be able to offer the building to different businesses after a number of restaurants have proved unsuccessful despite him subsiding rent by at least two-thirds to try and improve trade.

The building was home to The Angel Chef between 2001 and 2015 before lying vacant until November 2017 when it opened as a Chinese buffet U Canteen.

U Canteen closed in June 2018 and reopened as American style steakhouse Panama Jacks in September which only lasted for six months – the last three months of which resulted in payment arrears forcing the restaurant to close.

The landlord believes the ‘flexible’ planning permission could open the building up to a variety of new businesses not as popular in the late 90s and early 00s when planning permission was first granted - such as darts and table tennis bars, retro gaming bars and Ghetto Golf.

The building already has permission to serve alcohol but only alongside food rather than as a pub or bar.

The multi-million pound development of Cathedral Square has also hit trade in other areas of the city centre particularly Angel Street, according to the planning application.

The hope is to attract businesses to at least test their ideas in the Angel Street building without having to splash out more money on securing the appropriate planning permission first.

A number of units in Angel Street have been empty for some years and gaining permission to build new bars, restaurants and takeaways in the area has been unpredictable.

A plan to open a Victorian-style gin palace in the old Co-op supermarket in Angel Street was rejected by Worcester City Council in October 2017 over fears it would lead to more crime and disorder.

Two Crafty Brewers recently had its plan for a new bar and restaurant in an old tailors in Sansome Street was approved but a new KFC was rejected in The Cross.