A popular and award-winning Grantham restaurant plans to expand by taking over the premises next door.

The move follows the adjoining premises lying empty for more than a year.

A planning application to South Kesteven District Council is for a change of use from retail to restaurant use at 8-9 Westgate.

The 70m2 premises were last used by the White Robin, which closed in 2019.

Mr K Bhandari of 7-9 Westgate, Grantham, seeks to expand the Everest Inn by making internal alterations to the ground floor of the building to expand the dining/bar/kitchen of adjoining restaurant into the application site.

The application said: "The 8/9 Westgate unit (including all of the first-floor retail space) is presently vacant, and is understood to have been vacant for a year. The unit has been the subject of marketing and no end user for the whole unit has been identified.

"It would appear that there is no present demand for

such a large retail-unit with first floor retail space (which has no access for people with mobility impairments), and it is reasonable in the circumstances to consider alternative uses of the building, in whole or in part." It added: "The greatest heritage value lies in the exterior of the building and this will be unchanged by the proposed works. "In our assessment the proposed scheme of alteration in this case will have no material or adverse impact upon the character and appearance of the interior or exterior of the listed building. "