Rudy’s Nottingham: First look at plan to convert historic bank into new pizza restaurant

Plans have been unveiled to convert a historic former bank into a new pizza restaurant in Nottingham city centre.

Applicant Firstplan, on behalf of Mission Mars Ltd, has submitted the proposal to Nottingham City Council to convert the vacant former Midland Bank at 6 Victoria Street into a branch of the popular Neapolitan pizzeria chain Rudy’s.

The three-storey building was built in 1896 and features an ashlar pink granite façade, six doric columns and mahogany panelling.

There are no works planned for the building’s exterior, which is Grade II listed and within the Lace Market conservation area.

A new pizza counter, oven, dough room and prep area would be built within the six columns in the middle of the ground floor, with a new bar, customer seating areas and a disabled toilet also installed.

Alterations in the basement, inside the former bank’s vaults, would only be minimal and include new storage areas and customer toilets.

Established in Manchester in 2015, Rudy’s has since opened 19 branches across the country, including Liverpool, Birmingham and Leeds and is known for its minimalist decor and award-winning, authentic pizzas.

The building’s upper floors were previously occupied by separate office spaces but have sat vacant for several years.

A plan to convert them into nine residential apartments was approved in 2020 but never went ahead and “are likely therefore to remain as they are for a number of years”.

The building was previously home to clothing company French Connection, which closed in 2019 and has since remained vacant. A plan to convert the site into cocktail bar chain Manahatta was withdrawn in 2022.

The applicant said the previous proposal included “more intrusive works to the listed building”, such as a mezzanine floor and new staircase, however, the latest plans are “far less obtrusive and includes only very minimal works”.

Rudy’s would become the latest pizza restaurant to open in Nottingham, which has seen a flurry of competition including Detroit, Pizza Punks, Pizzamisú, Happy Dough Lucky and Pizza Pilgrims - and that is in addition to established chains Pizza Express and Zizzi.

No objections have so far been received, with the plans pending consideration from Nottingham City Council’s planning department.

The plans are out for consultation and can be viewed here.