A landmark 1700s Cotswold shop will be putting on a new front if Stroud District Council planners (SDC) back a bid to renovate and rescue the ailing property.

Close to the town's railway station and the Subscription Rooms venue, Stroud's former kebab shop, The Charcoal Grill, will see a replacement of the premises' distinctive domed bay windows as a key part of the proposed work at the busy George Street location.

After standing empty for several years, the Grade II-listed address was sold in August by Andover-based chartered surveyors Stratford Commercial, on behalf, a spokesman told Punchline-Gloucester.com, of "a long-standing client". As yet, no indication of the new owner has been indicated through SDC's application.

Along with ground floor commercial use, the building also offers domestic accommodation upstairs.

The premises' frontage has been problematic in the past and in 2009, the original domed glass windows were replaced with cheaper Perspex panes before the grill reopened in 2010.

With the premises standing empty, however, for several years, screening panels were erected in September - prompting speculation over the shop's future.

Facebook user Chris Fry dubbed the address "Stroud's number one eyesore" and expressed a hope that it will be rescued, although John Bassett said he feared that any change to the curved windows, which were changed from original glass to Perspex after vandals struck, would risk the town losing a distinctive street feature.

A heritage report submitted for the project told planners: "The former restaurant (Charcoal Grill) has been redundant for many years. The restaurant has become severely dilapidated. The curved bay windows at the front of the shop have collapsed. The plastic windows and frame seem to have been held together with duct tape. Refurbishment was not an option. The windows were removed very soon after the recent sale to facilitate some stabilisation of the floor structure."

The bid seeks to replicate the existing frontage, noted in its listed status as "an elaborate mid-C19 canted bay shop front" with stained hardwood for the window frames, while all fittings to the shop (for kitchen, serving and hygiene facilities) will be stripped out. 

As a hint for future use of the address, the report adds that "new kitchen and serving fittings to be installed within the existing fabric".

A date for any decision is not as yet indicated.