Work has begun to make way for a brand new swanky restaurant in the heart of an historic city. Plans were submitted earlier this year to see the former home of Burton and Dorothy Perkins in , on the corner of Rose Lane and The Parade, converted into The Ivy restaurant. The proposals detail the installation of new equipment needed for the kitchen and a complete overhaul of the interior to accommodate the restaurant.
An application has also been lodged for extensive changes to the shopfront and building’s exterior including the installation of signage displaying The Ivy’s logo, plus branded awnings. Though a change of use application from retail to a restaurant has not yet been given from , works to gut out the proposed site are already underway. Burton and Dorothy Perkins closed back in 2021, and the space has since hosted multiple pop-up shops including a Christmas store and a phone repair, vape and souvenir shop.
With the site now surrounded by temporary hoarding, a notice has been displayed stating that a 21-week renovation of the site is being undertaken, which began in mid-April. Nexus and Construction Safety Solutions are carrying out the works, which will see alterations made to the basement, ground floor and first floor of the site. As the building - which came under the ownership of the Arora family through Sloan Realty in 2021 - is in a heritage area, any external alterations, such as to windows and doors, will need council approval.
Internal alterations do not n.