Wolverhampton Kitchen Depot applies to stay in old Uberra and Canal Club building

The canalside building, on the corner of Ring Road St David's and Wednesfield Road, operated as a nightclub under various names before being turned into a kitchen showroom three years ago.

Wolves fan Tom Kirwan, 23, was stabbed to death nearby in 2012 while the building was the Uberra nightclub.

The former British Waterways depot also operated as Miss Moneypenny's, the Canal Club and most recently The Boatyard.

Planners granted a three-year licence to the Kitchen Depot to operate from the Grade II listed building in 2016 but that licence runs out on December 31 this year and bosses have now asked for this to be extended.

According to the applicants, extending that licence will help keep six members of staff in work and stop a building in a key part of the city centre from lying empty.

Shaun Gill, of agents Concept Architectural Design, said: “Planning Consent was granted in 2016 to change the use of the building from a nightclub to a kitchen showroom, which was a temporary consent until 31st December 2019.

“The site is situated directly adjacent to Wolverhampton Rail Station, just outside the marked boundary of the Canalside Quarter as designated in Wolverhampton’s emerging city centre area action plan.

“The building is itself listed at Grade II. No historic material was lost as a result of the previous approval and current use.

“This new application proposes no alterations to the building and is merely to extend the current usage.

“The application not only continues the use of a previous disused land, it also adds valuable retail space to the area local to the Canalside Quarter.

“The continued employment of the tenant's staff will continue the economic benefits of the venture should it be granted.

“The proposal has taken into consideration the existing site conditions and neighbouring properties.”