Franchise of national dessert restaurant chain to take over empty premises

Hull’s Paragon Street will soon be a little bit sweeter as plans for a new dessert restaurant are revealed.

Thanks to a grant from the Levelling up Fund, a franchise of national company Heavenly Desserts will move into the currently empty unit 48-50 Paragon Street, after it receives a full refurbishment of the ground floor.

A Levelling Up Fund grant of over £100,000 has been match funded by applicant Umada Limited, with work including a full strip out of the unit, new electrics, plumbing and lighting, installation of kitchen equipment and furniture, new stud walls and professional fees to open the franchise.

Hull City councillor Paul Drake-Davis, portfolio holder for regeneration, said: “This grant award is yet another demonstration of how the council is using the Levelling up Fund to encourage new businesses into the city centre.

“Paragon Street is a prime area of the city centre and I’m very pleased to see such a well known business moving in and improving the offering to visitors.”

Last year, the council was awarded £19.5m from the Government’s Levelling Up Fund to support infrastructure and deliver a package of city centre regeneration works.

£7.5m of this is being used for the Levelling Up Fund grant scheme, which aims to bring unused floorspace of any vacant or partially occupied property back into use.

It is expected that work on the Paragon Street unit will begin in the spring.