Property developer The Helmsley Group has submitted plans for a new riverside restaurant in York.

The £1.5m project would renovate and extend an 1836 engine house – next to the 14th century Lendal Tower landmark and Museum Gardens – into a restaurant and two apartments.

According to plans submitted to City Council, the 4,000sq ft (370sq m) eatery will feature Victorian arched windows and a deck area overlooking the River Ouse.

Helmsley Group’s associate director, Ian McAndrew, said: “We have been working very closely with City of York Council, the Museums Trust and English Heritage for the past 18 months. This will be the final piece in the regeneration jigsaw that will enhance an under-utilised area of the city.

“Our plans include the provision of a new entrance, steps and gates to the adjacent Museum Gardens, which includes St Mary’s Abbey and the Yorkshire Museum.”

Michael Woodward, director of finance and business development for York Museums Trust, added: “We see the proposed development as a very good fit with our own plans for the future of the Yorkshire Museum and Gardens”