The future of Helston’s former nightclub Trelawney’s has been revealed after it was bought by a restaurant entrepreneur.

A planning application has been submitted to convert the existing ground floor nightclub in Coinagehall Street into a restaurant and hot food takeaway.

There are additional plans to convert the current first floor bar and office, and staff accommodation on the first and second floor, in to three flats.

They have been submitted by Wahiduz Zaman, who already owns a number of businesses including Sultanz Restaurant in Camborne, serving Indian and Bangladeshi dishes, and Zamans in Newquay - which last year won the Editor’s Choice category in the Curry Life Awards in London's West End under the skills of chef Mo Miah.

Meanwhile Sultanz has a 4.5 out of 5 star rating on TripAdvisor, with people praising the “massive portions” and describing it as “The very best Indian takeaway I've ever had.”

However, while Mr Zaman’s other restaurants in Cornwall are based around Indian food, he has yet to decide on the theme for the Helston one – and said the final decision would be made by his Falmouth-based business partner.

His preference, however, is for ‘international’ cuisine – offering different tastes from around the world.

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Mr Zaman, who started in the catering industry aged 19 and has also had restaurants in the Heathrow area before moving to Cornwall eight years ago, told the Packet: “I looked at Helston and immediately loved it. It’s such a beautiful building, and I know I can do something good there.”

He hopes to have it open before the start of the school summer holidays.

The plans show the restaurant would employ four full-time members of staff and two part-time.

Mr Zaman, who bought the building at auction in July, said he would like to open for lunch trade as well as evenings, adding: “It will be nice and big, so people can have their lunch there, or just a cup of coffee, and bring their laptop to work from there.

“I’m thinking booth seating, with high-powered WiFi, to create a hub and give something back to the area.

“I’m over 52 years old now – it would be nice to leave a legacy.”

He said he had faced an uphill battle in improving the condition of the building, which he said was in a “very, very sorry state”.

Having struggled to find a local contractor with availability to repair the damaged roof before the summer, he eventually managed to do the work by bringing in contractors from out-of-county – only for the cold weather in December to cause a pipe to burst, resulting in flooding.

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The planning proposal now is to convert the ground floor into a restaurant area with a kitchen and small bar serving area, with the existing rear extension being adapted into two storage areas and two toilet cubicles for customers.

The first floor would be converted into two flats, both with two bedrooms, with the second floor retained as accommodation, as it is currently, but with minor alterations to form a two-bedroom flat with a living room, kitchen and bathroom.

Externally, it is proposed to remove the existing timber sash windows to the front and replace them with white UPVC double-glazed, conservation-type sash windows to match the look now.

Documents accompanying the planning application state: “The existing windows are single-glazed and offer no insulation against the loss of heat, and due to their age and the constant painting are difficult to open, and have gaps that cause draughts and constant rattles in high winds.”

The steel staircase at the back of the building would be removed.

The application goes on to say: “The property was a restaurant and café in the past before it became a nightclub. The existing property is in a state of disrepair and in need of renovating to protect it from irreversible decline.

“The use as a nightclub and public bar failed twice and the new owner wishes to retain the A5 use. He hopes that with the renovation and remodelling of the business, along with the conversion to living accommodation on the first and second floor, he can make an income from the property as well as providing a service to the community.”

The building at 25 Coinagehall Street was Grade II listed in May 1972 and was initially a townhouse before later including a shop. It was built in the late 18th century, with the existing shop front windows fitted in the 1990s.

It is described as having had kitchen facilities in the past, with an existing extractor fan in place.

Helston Town Council supported the application for change to a restaurant when its planning committee met last week. However, members recommended that a separate listed building application for internal changes to create flats, and replacement of the front windows, be deferred until there was more information about the UPVC conservation-style windows, as the property was in Helston’s Conservation Area.