A much-loved Leicester boozer which suddenly shut last year is set to be given a new lease of life as an Indian gastropub.
The Counting House, on Almond Road, is a large Grade II listed building placed between the King Power Stadium and the Leicester Tigers Welford Road ground.
The distinctive pub, built in the 1870s as refreshment rooms for the cattle market, was popular among sports fans for 18 years before its sudden closure last April, with patrons unsure of the site’s future ever since.
However, Birmingham-based Indian gastropub chain Soho Tavern has confirmed they are taking over and are looking to re-open it as an improved space, with plans submitted to Leicester City Council for approval.
The project’s designer, Tibbatts Abel, said the proposals include an extension into the car park and the new vision for the Indian gastropub will be geared towards football and rugby fans.
The extension will be a single-storey glass room which would not impact the Victorian red brick of the existing building. A new bar layout and more outside seating is also proposed.
Planning documents say the principle of restoring the building to an active public house was “welcomed” by officers and would represent a “positive step in securing the building’s long-term conservation”.
The design has been drawn up with regard to the “historic significance” of The Counting House while “enabling its viable reuse”.
The applications will now be reviewed by officers, and if several objections are received by local councillors or members of the public, could be sent for a final decision by the planning committee.
By Caitlin James
Local Democracy Reporter
