Carousel bar at Argos, The Shambles - what's happening?

A new Victorian-themed nightspot called Carousel, which is designed to mimic a merry-go-round, included plans for a bar, restaurant, an arcade filled with retro and modern games and a rooftop bar raised excitement earlier in the year. 

It was set to move into an eyesore city centre building - the former Argos store in The Shambles, Worcester, which closed in 2021 and has been empty since.

We reported that the planning application from Lindum Leisure had been approved by planning officers at Worcester City Council in March this year.

PLANS: Artist's impression of proposed rooftop Carousel bar (Image: GD:iD)Plans were first revealed in December last year and had a mostly positive response from people excited to see the empty unit transformed.

But nearly nine months on there has been no activity at the site. 

We visited on Thursday morning, (December 14) and the unit looked the same as it has for months - graffiti-covered and with the Argos signs informing customers the store was closed and directing them to the retailer's website still up.

Attempts to contact Lindum Leisure have been unsuccessful.

We contacted Carousel Bars, which runs a similar outlet to the proposed Worcester bar in Lincoln, but had no response before our deadline.

GRAFFITI: Graffiti covered former Argos (Image: Sam Greenway/Newsquest)

The two-floor plans included space for food and cocktails as well as classic arcade games such as air hockey, pinball machines, a basketball hoop, driving simulators and dance machines and interactive darts, beer pong, shuffleboard and quickdraw shooting.

One comment made on the plan during public consultation welcomed the move saying he was happy to see the former Argos store rejuvenated, calling the building a “complete eyesore” and a “rancid hallmark of 1960s planning.”

EYESORE: Former Argos is an eyesore (Image: Sam Greenway/Newsquest)

The Shambles, one of the city’s main shopping streets, was spruced up in 2019 at a cost of more than a million pounds with the thoroughfare’s bumpy and crumbling surface - which was a patchwork of makeshift repairs - replaced alongside new lights and benches.

But, as well as the former Argos, there are still several empty units in The Shambles including the former Poundland which we previously reported had at one time been used as a cannabis farm, uncovered by police in June.