Food hall offers 'reason to return to High Street'

The former Yates pub is being transformed into a food hall with six kitchens serving different cuisines

A businessman is to transform a former pub into a three-storey food hall to give people "a reason to come back to the high street".

Sandeep Singh has taken over the lease of the former Yates pub in Tower Street, Ipswich, Suffolk, and modelled his plans on a food hall credited with transforming the fortunes of the High Street in Altrincham in Greater Manchester.

Mr Singh, 48, said the Tower Street Food Hall had signed up local chefs to offer a variety of food from South Indian and pizza to vegan burgers alongside bars.

"When I came to Ipswich, I liked the feel of the place; I didn't understand the negativity I saw online, and I found this beautiful building, and I felt really positive," he said.

Plans show how the food hall might look

The entrepreneur, whose career has been in the hospitality and food industry in the UK and India, spent just under £2m transforming the pub, including adding a children's area on the ground floor to make it "family friendly".

Mr Singh expects it will employ about 75 people, and it should be open by Christmas, as first reported by the East Anglian Daily Times.

Shortly after he signed the lease, Ipswich Town FC won promotion to the Premier League, and like other business owners, he expects that to bring more visitors to the town.

"I will feel immensely proud if I can make a difference to the town centre and give people a reason to come back and not just plead with people to come back to the high street," he said.