Oxford City Council's George Street restaurant renovation could cost £770k

Costs to renovate the building that has been empty since 2019 could cost up to £770,000

A council plans to spend up to £770,000 urgently repairing a vacant city centre restaurant it owns which has a leaking roof and rotting window frames.

Oxford City Council plans to rent out 2-4 Gloucester Street and 24-26 George Street in Oxford, which was previously used by Jamie's Italian until 2019.

Work must be done soon "to prevent further deterioration" and so it can be rented out, council officers have said.

The council's cabinet is set to approve the spending on Wednesday.

Oxford's Jamie's Italian, which was the first restaurant in TV chef Jamie Oliver's chain to open in 2008, closed after it collapsed into administration in May 2019.

The council said it has now reached an agreement with a prospective new tenant.

The work will include removing a large section of the building's roof and part of the overlapping hotel roof, which belongs to The Bocardo Hotel.

Structural and supporting joists and beams will also need to be replaced.

Internal ceilings and walls affected by damp and roof problems also mean plasterwork needs to be replaced.

Damp has also rotted some window frames, and external brickwork and gutters and downpipes will also be replaced.

The work is set to be completed by the authority's company, Oxford Direct Services.

The council was approached to comment.