Former newspaper office to become cocktail bar

The abandoned office of a weekly newspaper in North Yorkshire is being transformed into a cocktail bar.

Once bustling with journalists and reporters serving local paper the Whitby Gazette, the disused building has sat empty since staff moved to a new site in November 2014.

Planning permission was granted in February, and now work has started on renovating the building.
The cocktail bar will feature on the lower and ground floor, and the remainder of the building will be converted into apartments.
Johnston Press put the Grade II listed building on the market in 2013 for £395,000 later reducing it to £325,000.

It is not yet known who will run the venue.

A report by a planning officer, which recommended its approval, said: “The restoration and bringing back into use of these vacant premises should enhance the appearance of the area and add to vitality in this town centre location.”

The unorthodox venue is not the first to be eyed as a potential cocktail bar.

Earlier this year the founder of Vestal Vodka opened a cocktail bar, named Ladies and Gentlemen, in former underground toilets in London.

Disused London Tube stations which have lay dormant since the Second World War may also house new bars if plans are approved.