A NEW bar is planned for Worcester city centre with its opening date pencilled in for the end of the year.

Nick Carroll, who owns Nick Carroll Architects in Broad Street, is developing the site at 42 Foregate Street in a project which also features 13 one bedroom apartments. 

Mr Carroll said: "We do lots of property development across the city, and the project on Foregate Street is among our latest developments that are coming to fruition before the end of the year."

The bar, which already has a name pencilled in, is set to open by early December.

Mr Carroll added: "We are planning on naming it The Foregate - though that could change.

"This is our own offering. I think I have designed five or six bars in Worcester, such as Hanbao for example, and we believe we know what the market wants.

"So we will deliver that - plus it gives us something to do on the weekends."

According to Mr Carroll, the idea behind the bar is to offer broader appeal and "attract people uptown who would usually spend time in Worcester's downtown area".

He said: "It's going to be traditional rather than a wine bar, for example. There will be lots of ales and top quality wines.

"It'll be traditional in appearance with wood panelling across the walls, so classic, simple, and understated.

"The timber frame is in place now on the inside, so the skeleton is very much there. Walking around the site now, you can get an idea of what it will look like when it opens."

On whether there would be a food offering, Mr Carroll said: "There are many restaurants around us at the moment, so that won't be the focus here.

"It won't be a restaurant at all and there will be no kitchen. We will have upmarket snacks though, such as charcuterie."

Above the ground floor bar and at the back of the site will be a collection of 13 micro and loft-style one-bedroom apartments developed for rental and for booking through Airbnb. These are also planned for completion by December 2024.