Bakery plan for Wolverhampton's historic Chubb Buildings
A new bakery and restaurant is set to be opened inside Wolverhampton’s historic Chubb Buildings.
Medicine Bakery, an independent firm originally established in Codsall, has been granted listed building consent to open the new eaterie within the buildings – which also house the Light House media centre and cinema in Fryer Street.
The company also has outlets in Birmingham and has just signed a 25-year lease for the ground-floor space and courtyard area within the Amici Mai unit.
A statement issued alongside the planning application, which was made by Wolverhampton-based Podular Systems, said: “We have now outgrown the bakery in Codsall and need additional capacity to meet the growing popularity of our artisan products and high quality food service.
“Sadly, the restaurant and beautiful interior courtyard of the Chubb Buildings has stood empty for many years with intermittent footfall.
“The restaurant structures will be dressed with tiered greenery and visual displays to create a botanical garden feel.
“The promise of a high quality, immersive dining experience within the Chubb Buildings is expected to compliment and endorse local entertainment businesses and the city’s commercial quarter,” it added.
Originally built in 1898, the Chubb Buildings served as the headquarters for the Chubb & Sons Lock & Safe Company for many years and is an important landmark in the city centre.
Locks and safes were manufactured at the premises and assembled by hand for distribution all around the world.
The building was renovated through the 1980s and 1990s before being converted and extended to include a cinema and to provide a new media and creative arts centre for the city.
An on site meeting with James Holliday, the council’s urban design and conservation officer, has already been held to review the site and the proposed works, where it was agreed that listed building planning consent was required.
The new facility, which will also include the addition of a sales kiosk, will enable the chain to up its production capacity in order to support more venues across the Midlands.
