First look at proposed new restaurant and boutique hotel planned for former Mike Ashley store

New CGI pictures have been released of plans to turn a former designer store into a restaurant and boutique hotel.

Eastry House, a grade II listed building on Yarm High Street, is to be changed into a pan-Asian restaurant, bar and hotel under the plans. The building, formerly owned by Sports Direct tycoon Mike Ashley, was bought by "a well-known restaurant proprietor in Middlesbrough", according to a planning statement.

Applicant C & R Solutions gained planning permission from Stockton Council to alter the building, which was formerly 'The House', a clothing shop with café. It is intended to improve the building's "dilapidated state", "reinvent the internal space" and turn the ground floor into a restaurant area with bar, with boutique hotel rooms on the upper floors, the latter of which would have a separate planning application.

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Now images give a preview of the internal designs. Fahim Farooqui from agent Total Planning Solutions said it would be "a unique restaurant experience", in the planning statement for the proposals to install uplights and canopies and repaint the front façade.

He said the applicant wanted to "upgrade and invest a significant amount of monies into the building to make it fit for purpose and ensure its longevity and long-term maintenance".

He said it would provide a "new distinctive restaurant/leisure offer within the centre of Yarm" which would contribute to tourism. He added: "The proposed permitted use as a restaurant and external alterations would provide an appropriate, high quality design, helping to reinforce a local sense of place.

"This will facilitate economic benefits from bringing a vacant grade II listed property back into viable use to the advantage of meeting the day-to-day needs of local residents in a more efficient and sustainable way."

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