Plans for HMO above empty El Mexicana in Worcester

Plans to turn the first and second floors above the former El Mexicana in The Cross have been submitted to Worcester City Council.

El Mexicana has been closed since November 2023 and according to planning documents, the upper floors of the building have been empty for about a year.

The empty restaurant will stay as a commercial premises under the proposal, which would see three HMO (house of multiple occupation) rooms put on both the first and second floors.

HMO PLAN: The floors above the old El Mexicana restaurant are empty (Image: Phil Wilkinson-Jones/LDRS)

“The scale of the proposed HMO is appropriate for its location,” planning documents state. “The property is a substantial building capable of accommodating six residents without altering its external appearance or footprint.

“This change of use will not overwhelm the surrounding area, as the density of occupancy is comparable to the potential occupancy under the existing [planning] classification.”

The heritage statement also says the conversion into a HMO would “enhance the historic value by contributing to the ongoing narrative of the building’s use within the historic city centre of Worcester”.

“By maintaining the external appearance and the footprint of the building, the proposal honours the historical connections between the place and past ways of life.

“The unchanged external façade ensures that the building continues to contribute to the streetscape and historical context of the conservation area, reflecting its continuous use and adaptation over time.”

In November, a sign appeared in the window of El Mexicana saying the restaurant was “closing for a period of time”.

But it has remained shut ever since.

The El Mexicana group had been bought out of administration a few months earlier and still has a number of restaurants around the country including in Cambridge, Peterborough, Romford and Swindon.