Nightclub tea shop project shelved

Plans to turn a Black Country nightclub, which was wrecked by arsonists last year, into offices and a tea shop have been shelved.

Nytro, in New Street, West Bromwich, was badly damaged in the fire, which broke out in July.

It will stay boarded up and vacant indefinitely while the owners work out what to do with the premises. Designs were drawn up to bring the site back into use but the agents working for the owners today revealed that a funding shortage had forced them to put the scheme on hold.

Harbhajan Dhadday, of Smethwick-based Dhadday Associates, said: "The owners are not proceeding with it at the moment.

"They have not got the money to do it up and they can't raise the funds."

He declined to reveal how much was needed for the scheme.

The project would have allowed for an office suite on the first floor as well as the tea shop on the ground floor and a two-storey rear extension.

West Bromwich central councillor Mohinder Singh Tagger said he had not been made aware of any firm proposals for the building since the fire.

The planning application was approved by Sandwell Council in February and stated that the tea shop would have offered hot drinks and various cold sandwiches to eat in the seating area.

It was proposed that the tea shop would open between 8am and 4.30pm on Mondays to Saturdays and could employ up to 12 people on a full or part-time basis.

The building has been badly damaged as a result of the fire which was started in the early hours of the morning.

The venue was closed and empty at the time as it was being renovated. No-one was injured.

It was thought at the time the blaze could have caused up to £10,000 damage.

All the wiring for the public address system and lighting had melted with plastic dripping onto the seats. Damage was also caused to the main dance area. The fire had started in more than one place and it took crews from four fire stations to put it out.