A FAMILY are now set to move into a historic building to set up their new violin shop and tearoom after a planning application was approved.

Cynthia Ngai and her husband Ken have travelled from Hong Kong to open up Ngai Violins in Broad Street in the former Nevitt lighting shop.

They submitted a planning application to alter parts of the Grade II former townhouse to make way for the business and to change areas for residential use, which has now been given the thumbs up by Worcester City Council.

Business owner Mrs Ngai said: "We are quite happy. We are working on our home, we are going to live on the second floor of the building.

"When we've finished that we'll work on the shop".

She hopes to get her family business up and running in the summertime after originally planning to open this month.

Mrs Ngai says she's hoping to open the doors sometime in July or August. 

She said: "Some of the stock still has to be imported to the UK.

"We are not sure how long it will take - it really depends".

The tea room is set to offer authentic Hong Kong tea rituals, which are rare to find elsewhere in the country.

Information will be given on different water temperatures depending on the tea leaves and the timing of how long each is brewed.

Tea leaves will be measured to create the right blend of water to leaf, and cups - each individually matching its beverage - will be heated using the aromas of the tea.

There will also be a violin shop where Mrs Ngai will provide lessons to eager musicians.

Each violin will be handmade - some using a rare Chinese rose wood - by Mrs Ngai and her father, a talented composer from Hong Kong.

Mrs Ngai says she's excited about sharing her culture with Worcester.

She added: "I would like to share my culture with the community.

"It's a peaceful city with some very friendly local people".