The Ivy gets green light for first Liverpool restaurant

The Ivy Collection is to open its first Liverpool restaurant after plans were green lit by the local council.

Permission has been granted for the group to develop the Grade-I listed former Bank of England building on Castle Street into a full-service restaurant.

Originally constructed in 1826, the city centre building was last used by the bank in 1987 and has sat vacant since the 1990s.

It will be the first Liverpool restaurant for the expanding Ivy Brasserie brand and third in the north-west, following two openings in Manchester.

According to planning documents, the restaurant will open seven days a week from breakfast through to dinner.

Planning documents said: “Customers will travel to Liverpool to visit the restaurant which will subsequently attract additional money, investment and visitors into the city.

“The Ivy proposes to create new jobs, direct and indirect jobs, which will have a significant impact on the local economy.”

The original Ivy restaurant opened in London’s West End in 1917 and became known for its celebrity guests.

Since 2014, around 40 Ivy spin-off restaurants have launched across the UK while eight sites have opened under the sister Ivy Asia brand.

Plans for the Liverpool site were submitted by Pegasus Group on behalf of Troia (UK) Restaurants Ltd, the company behind the Ivy brand.