CRAVEN House could become known as curry house if owners of the drab office block realise their dream of turning it into one of Macclesfield’s biggest restaurants.

The four-storey eyesore has won few friends as Macclesfield’s tax office over the years, and is regularly dubbed the town’s ugliest building.

Now The Express has learnt that its Manchester-based owners have, for the past 12 months, been advertising it is as the future site of a "fabulous landmark corner restaurant".

And they propose to simply revamp the frontage, rather than demolish the whole building.

Commercial agents Greenham Partnership, who are helping market the site, turned to the restaurant sector after getting no interest in it as an office.

Chris Stubbs, a partner at Greenham Partnership, which is marketing the scheme with Kenney Moore property consultants, said: "We know there has been a bit of a campaign of Craven House being ugly.

"It would suit bigger corporate restaurant operators like Gusto or Pizza Express, or Nandos who need somewhere with commercial kitchens and a large footprint so they can get a lot of diners in."

A commercial brochure for the "restaurant opportunity" offers the building to let for £75,000 a year.

Chris said that unlike Stockport, the uptake of vacant offices remained very low.

"It is (promoted as) a restaurant to widen the opportunity. It is a good site – opposite a large car park, easy to get to and quite prominent.

"There are other restaurants in the town centre, but nothing on that side of town."

Of the lack of current interest, he added: "There are very few restaurant operators currently expanding. It is the same as any commercial use at the moment."

The owners are currently in discussions with a large retailer concerning the site, but he added that a deal was "very much uncertain".

Anyone interested in finding out more should call Chris on 01625 503186.

- Two of the four floors will remain in use as Macclesfield’s tax office until next year.