A NEW “high-profile” restaurant could be created above a pub in the centre of York.

Greene King, which runs the Lendal Cellars next to the Guildhall and the city’s main post office, has applied to convert parts of the building which are currently empty.

The company says the first-floor sections of the building, on which its application is concentrating, have been unused “for a number of years”. They are believed to have previously been a solicitors office and a Berni Inn restaurant.

They also say a big-name operator for the restaurant, if the plans are approved by City of York Council, has already been lined up, and a decision on whether the scheme can go ahead is expected to be made at the start of July.

In a planning statement Greene King’s agents, Signet Planning, said: “The proposal aims to enhance the existing public house facilities to ensure the continued success of this establishment and to carry out alterations and refurbishment works to the vacant areas to create a space suitable for a new restaurant.

“This will increase the appeal of the building as a whole while ensuring the longevity of the building fabric itself. The intended restaurant operator is very high-profile and, as such, is bound to further enhance the reputation of Lendal Cellars as a quality destination for eating and drinking in the prime location in the centre of the city.”

They said the plans would protect “important features of the building”, and involved a new extension linking the existing bar and beer garden as well as bringing a more “open-plan” feel to the building.

The Lendal Cellars has become known as one of York’s more distinctive pubs because of its windowless, brick-lined drinking area.