Independent food hall to take over Kings Heath pub

The team behind the food hall hope it could emulate a similar operation in Poland

A food hall is planned to open inside a former Birmingham pub, featuring six independent kiosks, a bar and bakery.

District Marketplace wants to take over what was Wetherspoons' Pear Tree pub on Kings Heath High Street.

The hall would also a co-working space and a coffee shop.

Planning documents stated celebrity chefs Aktar Islam and Andy Sheridan, of BBC Two's Great British Menu 2018, were involved, but both have confirmed they are not part of the project.

District Marketplace is a new firm headed up by Kash Khera and general manager Thomas Bray, who said food halls were "the fastest growing trend in food and beverage".

Table service

They enable lower operating costs because of the shared dining space, allowing traders to "thrive and prosper in harsh economic climates", Mr Bray said.

Under the plans, diners will be able to use an app to purchase food and drinks, which will be brought directly to their table, reducing long waits and searches for seats, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

Mr Khera said the planning documents were an early version not meant to be in the public domain.

"We have spoken to quite a few chefs and had a lot of interest but this is very early stages," he said.

"We're excited for the project which is being developed; we had a licensing meeting yesterday and we feel that the project will go ahead. 

"We're still in discussions with the landlord around securing the site."

The Pear Tree ran for 20 years but Wetherspoons announced it would close in October last year because the site's lease was about to run out.

The company invested £2m in acquiring the 19th Century Navigation Inn in Kings Norton, which opened in December shortly after the Pear Tree closed.