Plans for a new Cosy Club restaurant in Cornmarket have been given the go-ahead.

The new restaurant will occupy one of the empty units at the Cheng Yu Tung building - formerly Northgate House - which was opened by Jesus College last year.

The new block features new student accommodation and a digital hub with retail units on the ground floor.

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HSBC Bank has already been given planning permission to move from its Carfax branch and now the restaurant chain Loungers/Cosy Club has also been told it can go ahead with its plans.

Loungers is a substantial and growing operator in the UK and offers 'relaxed dining and drinking with a touch of timeless glamour'.

Oxford Mail:

It operates 206 sites in England and Wales across two distinct brands, Lounge and Cosy Club.

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The planning permission granted by the city council for 13-30 Cornmarket is for a change of use from retail to restaurant, occupying about 50 sq m on the ground and first floor.

There will be an entrance lobby and stairwell with the restaurant on the first floor.

Planning agents JPPC told the city council the building would be an appropriate location for a use of this nature, seeking to promote a vibrant daytime and evening economy.

Encouraging visitors back into city centres after the Covid pandemic is an important economic objective, the council was told.

Oxford Mail:

There are Cosy Club restaurants across the country, including those in Bath, Bristol, Birmingham, Bournemouth and Basingstoke.

The restaurant chain's website says: "Loungers was founded in 2002 by a trio of long standing friends, Dave Reid, Alex Reilley and Jake Bishop.

"Having spent years in the restaurant and bar trade – not to mention just as many propping up the bars in Bristol (all of course in the name of research) – they decided it was time they did their own thing. The motivation was simple and very selfish; they wanted somewhere to drink themselves." 2002."

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It adds: "Cosy Club came along a mere eight years later on September 10, 2010 when a beautiful building in Taunton became available. Our very first Cosy Club. The rest, as they say, is history."

Oxford Mail:

When the Westgate Centre reopened in 2017 following a £440m facelift, it featured a number of Cornmarket retailers who had decided to relocate, including Next and River Island.

It is not yet known whether any major brands will take up space at the Cheng Yu Tung building.

Jesus College has not yet commented on the Cosy Club plan.

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This story was written by Andy Ffrench, he joined the team more than 20 years ago and now covers community news across Oxfordshire.

Get in touch with him by emailing: Andy.ffrench@newsquest.co.uk

Follow him on Twitter @OxMailAndyF