Restaurant and flats plans for Alnwick's former council chamber

Applicant Mike Rogerson is behind the bid to bring the key town-centre building, which is grade II-listed and known as the Old Post Office, back into use.

It is proposed to create a restaurant on the ground floor, catering for around 72 covers, along with a kitchen and lounge bar.

The two upper floors would each become a separate flat – three bedrooms on the first floor and two bedrooms on the second floor with the introduction of a lift within a protected stairwell.

According to a design and access statement, the proposals ‘seek to retain as far as possible the existing structure and openings. The principal elevation to Clayport Street is largely unaltered’.

Glazed doorways would be introduced to the rear restaurant area along with windows to the ground floor and first-floor flat and additional rooflights to the restaurant area and upper-floor flat.

The building, home to Alnwick District Council until its 2009 demise, was then used as offices and as a council chamber by Alnwick Town Council until it was shuttered in August 2014 due to it needing costly work to bring it up to scratch.

It was put up for sale in November that year by Northumberland County Council, which had taken over ownership from the district council.

It emerged that it had been sold in February 2015, but no information about the sale was made public.