New tattoo shop plan

A tattoo studio and hair salon are set to open in the city centre under new plans.

Plans have been put forward by city tattoo artist Hanan Qattan to open a new studio in an empty unit in Reindeer Court off Mealcheapen Street in Worcester’s city centre.

There also plans to open a new hair salon on the ground floor.

Turning the space into a new tattoo studio and hair salon comes after years of speculation that the buildings would be converted into apartments.

The empty unit was previously home to jewellery shop Rock Lobster which closed in June last year after more than two decades trading in the city.

Owner Linda Preston said the disruption brought on by lockdown and the intention of the landlords to build apartments in the buildings was the reason for the decision to close.

A statement included with the application said: “Planning permission was granted in December 2018 to convert the first floor of 21 Reindeer Court as part of a wider proposal to create five residential apartments across [several units].

“This application instead retains commercial use at first floor with a concerted effort having been made in recent months to promote, revitalise and secure the future prosperity of Reindeer Court following the general decline in occupancy levels over the last few years.

“This in turn will help to secure the future of The Reindeer Inn heritage asset.

“The niche location within the heart of the city and varying size units have increased the diversity of occupants and encouraged a variety of tenants from shops, cafes, delis and hair salons with this proposal aiming to bring additional employment to the area.

“This application aims to provide a selection of services across the two-stories, utilising the first floor as a tattoo studio and the ground floor as a hair salon.

“The applicant has worked in many tattoo studios across the city of Worcester over the past five years and is currently in the process of purchasing the unit to establish an independent business.

“The former retail space at ground floor will provide employment for a further two local hairdressers.”