The owner of Liverpool's former Sergeant Pepper’s Bistro has said that he still hoped to find a tenant to occupy the landmark building.
The former tram stop which was name checked in The Beatles famous song Penny Lane has been empty since 2003. The art deco period piece was a famous restaurant popular with locals , students and international tourists.
For many the failure to find a modern use for the building with such rich heritage represents a missed opportunity for the city. Raad Maatook, who bought the building in 1989, spoke to the ECHO earlier this week about the landmark.
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He said: "I have invested around £150,000 in the building so far and I hope to find a suitable tenant soon. "
Mr Maatook said that a lack of investment in the area had undermined his efforts. He said: "There are too many apartments in the area and not enough retail. The retail parks on Edge Lane and in Speke have hurt the area. There just not enough big name brands and outlets around here. And that has made it harder for me. But I do hope to find the right tenant soon."
The building was originally a tram stop and inspectors’ office, with public toilets added to the back. It later reopened as a cafe and restaurant, decorated with Beatles photographs, posters and Fab Four memorabilia. It remains a popular stop for Beatles fans visiting the city.
Heritage and tourism campaigner Jonathan Brown said: "The Beatles made Penny Lane the most famous street on earth for the richest generation of all time, the American baby boomers.
"Exactly sixty years since their first single, Paul McCartney’s lyrics still bring a global stream of tourists past the ‘Shelter in the Middle of the Roundabout’ every single day.
"So it’s ‘very strange’ that Penny Lane’s centrepiece has been empty for decades, when it could be used to celebrate the city’s songs in all sorts of colourful and creative ways.
"Travellers crossing the world to visit Liverpool deserve better than an empty building at the end of their Beatles pilgrimage."
A Liverpool based leisure group , who asked not be named, told the ECHO they were interested in acquiring the lease to the building.
Richard Kemp, leader of the city's Liberal Democrats, said: "The question I have been asked most over the past 20 years is, ‘what is happening to Sergeant Peppers?’
"This building is in the middle of a really great area which has tens of thousands of tourists a year and of course thousands of us live in the area. In August we placed a statue of John Lennon on the opposite side of Allerton Road which is now in stark contrast to the other side.
"The council has no powers to resolve this so I call upon the owner to let someone else convert an eyesore into a usable building”.
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