AMBITIOUS plans for a glamorous riverside restaurant and flats have been submitted to York council chiefs.

Developers want to build a high-class eatery in Museum Gardens, as part of a major redevelopment of the former waterworks around Lendal Tower.

The £1.5million project also includes a new Esplanade entrance to the popular gardens, which include St Mary's Abbey and the Yorkshire Museum.

The plan, which will see the 1836 engine house renovated, extended and turned into a restaurant and two flats, is part of a wider development by The Helmsley Group.

The plans involve:

* Extending the flood protection scheme.

* A private, residents-only garden.

* Re-opening the gateway through the Bar Walls, to create a new flood-proof and wheelchair accessible entrance.

* New public toilets and a boat facility in another location.

The scheme has been hailed by the developer and other concerned parties.

Ian McAndrew, associate director of The Helmsley Group, said: "This will be the final piece in the regeneration jigsaw that will enhance an under-utilised area of the city."

He said: "Our plans complement the city's aspirations to encourage local residents and tourists to enjoy the city's facilities, including enhancing the river walkways, and we will strive to attract the best possible occupier of the restaurant once planning permission has been granted."

Michael Woodward, director of finance and business development for York Museums Trust, said: "The trust sees the proposed development as a very good fit with our own plans for the future of the Yorkshire Museum and Gardens."

Kate McMullen, marketing manager of York Tourism Bureau, said: "The proposed plans for Lendal Tower sound very exciting.

"It is a fabulous building, which is an important part of York's heritage.

"We are always supportive of new developments that strengthen the evening economy and welcome a new addition to York's already dynamic and expanding restaurant scene."

The Helmsley Group acquired the Lendal Tower complex in 2003, and proposed a two-phase restoration programme.

The first phase has included flood protection work, and the conversion of the tower and Lendal Hill House into three dwellings.

In a supporting statement with the application for phase two, David Strickland, of York architects Crease Strickland Parkin, said the complex comprised buildings from the 14th 18th and 19th centuries.

He added: "The approach we have adopted is to continue this evolution by extending the 19th-century engine house in a contemporary 21st-century style."

The complex was used as offices by York Waterworks Company and then Yorkshire Water, but repeated flooding problems led to it becoming vacant in 1999.