A £150,000 dream to turn a ramshackle motorbike showroom into an exclusive wine bar and bistro could soon become reality - thanks to the vision of three Wharfedale businessmen.

Malcolm Hughes, Vernon Marston and John Barber are spending more than £150,000 between them to refurbish the former motorbike showroom and doctor's surgery in Bridge Street to turn it into a showpiece wine bar and bistro.

They claim the new 65-seat wine bar and restaurant in Bridge Street, opposite the police station, will boost a run-down part of Otley and help inject new life into the waterfront area.

The partners have already got full planning permission and have just applied for permission to extend the front of the property.

Mr Hughes, said he was hopeful that, subject to planning consent, the restaurant could be open by the end of April.

"We see it as an ideal way to restore a building in one of Otley's most picturesque places back to its former glory as well as filling a large gap in the market," he said.

"The wine bar will be a real credit to the town. It's something that certainly I have always wanted to do and it's a great challenge. We are putting a lot of money into it, the final costs are likely to be even higher, but we're confident of success."

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