Wolverhampton eating spot to reopen

The site of a former Italian restaurant in the Black Country is to be reopened after three years.

Estate agents have signed a deal for a new operator to take on Soprano's in Wolverhampton city centre as a Caribbean restaurant.

It comes as different plans for the Princess Street site to be turned into an Indian restaurant fell through.

Richard Bache, of estate agent Towler Shaw Richards, said another operator was already lined up for the 2,005 sq ft building.

He said: "The restaurant will be focused on Caribbean cuisine. It's something different and we would hope to see work taking place in a couple of months. There will be some new jobs as well.

"It's a good sign for the city centre in terms of the market and brings hope of some positive results at last."

Last June, the owners cut £5,000 off the annual £30,000-a-year rent after a deal with another prospective buyer collapsed.

The building had a setback last year because of burst pipes.

Sopranos takeaway closed in May 2009 with the loss of 15 jobs. It briefly opened again in December that year as a restaurant and bar but did not last long.

It is understood the property was subject to three separate bids in autumn 2010 but none went through. Wolverhampton City Council's licensing committee had been set to approve plans for the Pearl of India this week.

Police had already given their blessing, but Birmingham-based business Abdul Rahim is no longer going ahead with the scheme.

Wolverhampton City Council spokesman Gurdip Thandi said: "The application was formally refused at committee, as the applicant did not attend. He indicated that he was not continuing with the application."