A CHINESE restaurant which has been derelict for almost two years could be replaced by a coffee shop.

Cobra Coffee Ltd has submitted a planning application to Brighton and Hove City Council to renovate the Bamboo House site in London Road.

The restaurant closed down in 2018 and the city centre shop has been empty ever since.

Cobra Coffee Ltd wants to change the use from restaurant to coffee shop and carry out alterations to the shopfront.

The Portsmouth company is predicting the business will employ six full-time staff.

It has previously franchised Starbucks sites, including a store which opened in the Piries Place development in Horsham last year. It started trading in June and remains open almost nine months later.

Starbucks was founded in 1971 and opened its first store in Seattle. There are now more than 30,000 shops globally with almost 1,000 in the UK.