World tapas bar to open at £50m town centre development
A tasty new tenant is set to move into premises vacated by the short-lived Italian restaurant Ottimo following the popular eatery’s unexpected closure last year.
An operator trading as Glass Orchid will take over the empty unit in Beeston town centre this autumn, Nottinghamshire Live reports, serving a menu consisting of cocktails and world tapas.
The premises beneath the Arc Cinema forms part of the £50m Beeston Square Development, a major regeneration project orchestrated by Broxtowe Borough Council and backed by D2N2. Neighbouring tenants include The Beeston Social and Rassams Creamery.
TheBusinessDesk.com understands a former employee of The Beeston Social has a hand in the venture, but little else is known about Glass Orchid other than that its owners are reportedly unconnected to the operators of Ottimo.
Around 30 jobs were lost at the site last December when Ottimo – the latest offering from the company behind city centre restaurant Sans Patrie – closed down.
It had space for 150 diners and had only been open for seven months before the shock closure, which is understood to have been caused by an investor pulling out of the business.
The area hit the headlines last week after a controversial mixed-use scheme planned on land opposite the cinema was given the green light on appeal.
Cassidy Group’s plans to develop a 419-flat student block on Station Road were thrown out in July after councillors voiced concerns around parking, the massing of the building and questions around its sustainability.
A successful appeal has now paved the way for the scheme to proceed, but the proposals continue to face fierce opposition from certain quarters. Beeston Civic Society said it was “bitterly disappointed” with the Planning Inspectorate’s decision and has called on Broxtowe MP Darren Henry and Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Michael Gove to intervene.
Meanwhile, the developer says it is committed to creating a building “which will benefit the local area a great deal – using sustainable materials and being sensitive to the town centre in terms of what is already there.”
