YET another new restaurant is to open in York’s Fossgate, taking the total number of restaurants, cafes and bars in the ‘vibrant’ street to 17 - with still more restaurateurs wanting to come there.

The owners of Coconut Lagoon in Clarence Street are planning to open their second Indian restaurant in a former bookshop in the street.

The 2,000 sq ft unit is currently being transformed through a major investment into a restaurant specialising in South Indian cuisine.

Partners Saji Kurian and his wife Sminy, who opened their current business six years ago, said the Fossgate property’s availability proved a temptation to open a second outlet which they could not resist.

“The importance of Fossgate in the city’s food offer and its obvious vibrancy could not be ignored,” they said.

“We are really looking forward to being part of it.”

Letting agent Andrew Hedley, of Blacks Property Consultants, said the former St Pauls Bookshop had attracted ‘considerable interest’ when recently offered to re-let - with planning approval for conversion into a restaurant having been obtained - it was over-subscribed when rental offers were sought.

He added that the regular events promoted by the street’s current traders and the council’s improvements to the streetscape had not gone unnoticed.

“There is no doubt that demand for Fossgate property from both retailers and those involved in the city’s food offer has strengthened even more this year,” he added.

Saji said the new restaurant’s name Kalpakavadi meant the land of coconuts, and it would feature Kerala cuisine, which involved a multitude of both vegetable and non-vegetable dishes.

The Press reported recently that the Blue Bicycle restaurant, just a short distance along Fossgate, is finally set to re-open under new ownership following extensive repairs, more than three and a half years after being badly damaged by flooding in late 2015.

The arrival of Kalpakavadi and the re-opening of the Blue Bicycle will take the total number of restaurants, cafes, bars and pubs in Fossgate to 17.

Walmgate, which is a continuation of Fossgate, features another 20 restaurants, bars and cafes, making a total of 37 outlets on the two streets.

Several Fossgate Festivals have been organised by traders each year since 2016, featuring live music, dancing and street food in a street completely closed to traffic.

City of York Council has recently completed a £500,000 revamp of the street, with pavements widened, trees planted, benches and bike stands installed and new traffic signs put up.