PLANS to build a rooftop bar in Worcester have been approved by the city council.

Hanbao, a city burger restaurant and bar, can now demolish the old Toby’s Tavern building, in Sansome Street, and build a new £1million zinc-clad structure with glass walls.

The property will also feature a dessert parlour on the ground floor and is due to open to the public towards the start of the summer.

The structure will connect with the current Hanbao premises, in Foregate Street, and another Grade II building to the rear.

Some local residents objected to the plans due to concerns about noise, drunken behaviour and the design of the building.

Among them was Andrew Jeff, aged 57, of The Hopmarket, who said: “I never expected the plans to be cancelled, I just wanted to raise awareness that people are living here.

“At the end of the day, when push comes to shove, someone needs to do something with that site. The site’s been derelict for a long time it’s not doing anything.

“It was previously a bar and a nightclub so it’s not as if they are building a factory turning out toxic waste.

“I hope it works, provided they don’t keep us awake.”

Mr Jeff said he would be unaffected by the development but that the noise could disturb some residents in his building.

He said: “My bedroom doesn’t face the road. But my life isn’t just about me. I’m more concerned about people who work shifts.

“I think the main player in this will be the weather, at the end of the day we don’t live in Seville.

“Unless you want to wear a fleece with a hood they are going to spend a fortune on overhead heating.”

Seb Lam, joint-owner of Hanbao, said: “Work is underway on the development, with hopes of opening to the public nearing the summer months.

“We are extremely pleased that the planning permission, for our new development, passed with no alterations.

“This means we are now able to deliver the exact experience we hoped for when we initially planned the new project."

He added that they will work with acoustic engineers to ensure noise from the rooftop bar does not disturb neighbours.

The opening hours of the premises will be restricted to between 9am and 12.30am and music cannot be played on Sundays or bank holidays.

The two brothers who own Hanbao also have to follow the advice of acoustic engineers in relation to the position of any speakers on the rooftop.

Planners further demanded that noise from the rooftop will remain at or below acceptable levels.

They also limited the hours of construction, demolition work and deliveries to between 7am and 7pm, from Monday to Friday, and between 8am and 1.30pm on Saturday.

Hanbao, which means hamburger in Chinese, also has to prove how it will dispose of rubbish and rooftop water before it can proceed with the project.