A ONCE-POPULAR restaurant looks set to be developed into a complex containing shops and 52 homes.

The former Waterfront Place restaurant, in Wharf Road, which closed in 2012, looks set to be converted into a mix of residential and retail, with a mixture of one, two and three-bed apartments.

The plans mean the Oasis Church, which uses the building, must find a new home.

The development, by Taylor Wimpey, will include 38 parking spaces, seven dedicated motorbike spaces and 98 cycle spaces. Access to the homes will be from Wharf Road with pedestrian links made through to the canal.

City councillor Dick Madden said the development was a positive one, but the church must not be forgotten.

He said: “I have been supporting and assisting them in their relocation. They have done a significant amount of good in the area like running the food bank, and they’re good, honourable people.

“This is a wonderful development opportunity, but equally we want to assist Oasis in their relocation. We must remember what is being replaced.”