A NEW £1 million cafe bar could open in Bolton town centre -- on the site of former public toilets.

Andrew Aston of Horwich hopes to turn a former toilet and fish market on Bridge Street, Bolton, into a restaurant with a lounge, dance area and take away service, if his application is successful.

The Spice4life cafe bar will hold 600 people and will offer organic and vegetarian food from first thing in the morning to late afternoon.

In the evening the bar and dance area will be open to over 25-year-olds. The development of the Grade two listed building has been designed by Charles Batchelor, who designed the De Vere Whites Hotel at Middlebrook, Horwich.

Mr Aston said: "He has come up with some very good ideas. It should be very aesthetic. It will be very modern and minimalist with a lot of leather, beech, slate and Yorkshire stone. We will have a water fall feature in the bar and we will be highlighting the original stone work. It will be something similar to the bars at Deanesgate Locks in Manchester." In 1932 the fish market, next to the Market Hall transferred to Ashburner Street, where it has remained ever since. The old building was demolished the following year.

Mr Aston said his idea to turn the remaining toilets into a cafe bar was inspired from a similar development at a former toilet in London. He said: "This should be a good thing for Bolton. We will be importing our own wine and as we are independent and not part of a big chain we will be more flexible and can listen to what our customers want." Mr Aston will put the proposal forward to Bolton Magistrates on March 6.