THE owner of a venue which was a former restaurant has applied for an alcohol licence and requested to serve late night refreshments, despite the application being previously rejected.

The owner of Angel Mall, previously known as Panama Jacks, has applied for both licensing and planning applications for the venue, in Angel Place.

The licensing application is currently open for public consultation.

The requested licence is for the sale of alcohol from 11am to 11pm and the serving of late-night refreshments (non-alcoholic) from 11pm to midnight.

The applicant, Roger Letham, who is a private property investor, has also submitted a planning application to change the use of the building, which currently has permission for use as a restaurant.

If this application is approved, it would allow the building to be used as a bar and restaurant.

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The 21-day statutory consultation period closed on Friday (July 26), but any comments made at this stage will still be considered.

So far, there have been no objections received.

The former eatery, Panama Jacks, officially shut down on May 9 after a damning zero food hygiene rating which was carried out by Worcestershire Regulatory Services.

The initial opening of the eatery was postponed for several months, as the owner Phil Davies, applied for a stand-alone bar licence which was rejected.

The restaurant, which opened last October, injected thousands of extra pounds into the venue, turning the business from its original name Mojo Bar and Restaurant into an American-style steakhouse.

The venue has previously been occupied by various owners.

It has formerly been open for business as an all-you-can eat buffet restaurant, Angel Chef, before it abruptly closed in 2015.

Angel Chef was blighted with negative press during its time.

There were raids from immigration officials after the UK Border Agency received a tip-off about employees working there illegally.

When the officers entered the buffet restaurant, one of the workers - who overstayed his visa - tried to run off but was stopped.

Angel Chef was issued with an on-the-spot penalty notice for employing an illegal worker.

The premises was left empty for three years, until it was then taken over by a Chinese restaurant, U-Canteen, in January 2018.