Federal: Plans for popular café and bar chain in major York street takes step forward
Plans for an Australia and New Zealand-inspired café and bar in a major York street have taken a step forward.
Federal Café would move into the former Lush store in Coney Street under plans lodged with York Council to convert the building.
The application stated the business was very keen to expand into York after starting life as a small neighbourhood café in Manchester in 2014.
Plans for the former Lush store come as it and others nearby are set to be redeveloped as part of the Coney Street regeneration scheme.
The latest plans follow the café’s submission of a bid to licence the building for alcohol sales in July.
Plans have now been lodged for works on the empty Coney Street building including installing a kitchen.
The inside of the Grade II-listed building would also be refitted including with a new accessible toilet while walls around its outside courtyard would be repainted.
Alterations would also be made to the front of the building including the installation of new signs.
Plans stated the conversion would see the listed building brought back into use so it could contribute to the vitality and viability of the city centre.
The application stated: “Founded in Manchester in 2014 as a small neighbourhood café, Federal Café has expanded and now has three cafés in Manchester and one in Leeds.
“The business is renowned for its coffee and customer service and is very keen to bring its Antipodean-inspired offer to York city centre.”
Federal Café’s website stated its founder Claudio Alves Ribeiro was inspired to open the first Manchester site after a trip to Melbourne, Australia.
Work on the Coney Street scheme, which includes a new public space overlooking the River Ouse, began in June with scaffolding going up in the street.
The redevelopment is set to include retail and leisure spaces along the new Waterloo Place waterfront area and the upper floors of buildings converted to house 358 student bedrooms.