AN independent restaurant will be allowed to grow in size after striking a deal with the council to sell part of one of the city centre’s busiest car parks.

Italian restaurant Benedicto’s in Sidbury, Worcester, wants to buy a chunk of land at the neighbouring King Street car park to make way for a two-storey extension.

Tory council leader Chris Mitchell said he supported helping out a local business and improving an important gateway into the city but there were some concerns that the disruption in the car park because of the work would put people off visiting.

Lib Dem councillor Mel Allcott was worried that shutting part of the car park during the extension work could cause “untold damage.”

“Obviously it’s been really tough for the hospitality business and I think all credit to Benedictos for doing well and being in a position to expand,” she said.

“Just thinking about the city, the cathedral is our big asset and we’re always looking for tourism and income generation, I just worry the extent, and the disruption from our key car park, if you like, will cause longer term untold damage.

“I think it is the big pull isn’t it the cathedral for the city and if we’re going to disrupt this car park … I just don’t want to see a situation where we see so much damage that those people don’t come back or puts them off.

“I think it is more of a risk than we have given consideration to.”

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Cllr Mitchell said: “It is a gateway to the city. We’ve seen the development on the building across the side, which looks fantastic and is lifting that area, and I think … it can only be an enhancement to that entrance to the city.

“I understand there’s going to be some disruption. It’s quite hilarious that someone who is concerned about parking is happy to raise the parking charges but doesn’t want to move some cars around, which might upset parkers but anyway.

“It’s disruption but you can’t make an omelette without breaking a few eggs.”

Worcester City Council’s policy and resources committee agreed to the sale of just over 100 square metres of the 108-bay car park at a meeting in the Guildhall on February 7 but a planning application will still need to be approved for the work to go ahead and for the land deal to be signed off.

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The year-long work at the listed building would add up to 70 more covers as part of an extension to the restaurant’s kitchen, dining area, and bar and café.

A total of 18 spaces would be shut for the whole year during the work and another six spaces would be lost for at least a month when the payment machines are moved.

Eventually two parking spaces will be lost.

The council said it would be compensated for the loss of income but while the price of the sale was revealed to councillors, it has not yet been made public.