‘Paradise’ will not be coming to central York, at least not in its present form.

City of York Planners have refused an application for a café and five holiday flats at the site of a former nail bar at 13 Low Ousegate.

Ms Tana Thewlis of WAGM Holdings had said her scheme would convert a building in ‘a state of dilapidation’ into something to ‘positively benefit the conservation area.’

Planning documents had branded the proposed development ‘Paradise.’

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However, York Civic Trust said the planning application lacked sufficient detail and some aspects of it also did not consider ‘the heritage value of the building.’

The trust supports bringing the empty building back into use but questioned the public benefits of holiday flats above a café.

It suggested the upper floors could instead be used for long-term residential units.

Assessing the issues, council planners said the heritage statement need not meet the needs of central government planning requirements and gave no description of the significance of the Grade II-listed building. The planners also saw no need to replace some of the windows.

Recommending refusal, they concluded the public benefits were less than the harm identified.

A related planning application for signage has also been refused.