A café business has said it wants to move into an empty York pub amid uncertainty over the building’s future.
Abbas Ahmed, of Rockello’s which runs a café in West Yorkshire, said the vacant Victoria Vaults on Nunnery Lane offered an exceptional opportunity for them to expand their business to York.
Mr Ahmed added the company’s existing business in Castleford near Wakefield had also turned an unviable pub into a thriving, high-quality community café and eatery.
It follows calls from the owner of the empty York live music venue to end uncessary delays in deciding on plans to convert the building amid calls to revive it.
Owner Nabeel Hanif called in January for a ruling on applications to convert it into either three homes or a café, claiming a return to community use was not viable.
Victoria Vaults closed in December 2024 after losing considerable sums of money, according to planning documents.
The venue has hosted artists including Bez from The Happy Mondays and Blondie drummer Clem Burke, along with goth discos, poetry readings and several other rock, pop and reggae acts.
Asset of Community Value (ACV) status was granted to the building shortly after it closed in but it has since been removed for technical reasons, The Press has reported.
Local Labour councillors, York’s Campaign For Real Ale (CAMRA) and others have called on for the plans to be refused and claimed the marketing of it had been disingenuous.
Several parties were weighing bids to reopen the venue it as an arts or community venue as of late last year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) understands.
The ground floor of the building remains listed on the Barry Crux commercial property estate agent’s website for £25,000-a-year.
In a letter lodged with City of York Council, Rockello’s Mr Ahmed said his company intended to enter into a long-term lease on the space subject to plans being approved.
Opening hours of 8am to 6pm every day have been floated as part of the company’s bid.
He said: “As an established, independent hospitality business, we have been actively looking for the right location to expand our offering into York.
“Having reviewed the Victoria Vaults and its surrounding demographic, we believe it represents an exceptional opportunity to replicate our successful business model.
” We have proven firsthand that transitioning a site from a wet-led pub into a modern, inclusive daytime café breathes new life into a building, regenerates the local streetscape, and creates a highly valued amenity for the modern community.
“We are eager to bring this exact proven transition to Nunnery Lane and we are fully prepared to commit the necessary resources to comprehensively fit out the space and operate a thriving business here, provided the planning use is regularised.”
