A POPULAR burger restaurant is set to open its first store in the city in Cathedral Square.

American fast food chain Five Guys, which offers customisable made-to-order burgers and hot dogs as well as milkshakes, would open in the unit first earmarked for burger rival Byron Burgers.

The announcement by Five Guys marks the end of a two-year saga to find out who would occupy the vacant unit in the city’s £20 million landmark Cathedral Square development.

Developer Salmon Harvester said in October 2018 that it was confident it could attract a retailer for the empty unit but no update had been given until the planning application by Five Guys had been submitted.

Byron Burgers was due to open in 2017 alongside Miller and Carter, Yo Sushi, All Bar One, Pizza Express and Ask Italian when the redevelopment was completed but has remained empty since.

The gourmet burger chain announced it would not be opening a restaurant last June after months of speculation.

The news was finally confirmed by Byron after it announced it would be closing around 20 stores across the country.

Byron was one of the first names to originally sign up for the £20 million development, and was included in the original artist’s impressions of the Cathedral Square site.

An application submitted to planners at Worcester City Council looks to remove the brightly coloured advertisements left by Byron for new red and white awning and signs.

The new Five Guys would be the first to open in Worcester with the nearest restaurants in Birmingham and Merry Hill shopping centre in Brierley Hill.

Five Guys opened its first store in the UK in 2013 and now has 95 stores across the country.

Consultation on the plan ends on July 17.

The plans can be viewed via the planning section of Worcester City Council’s website.

The application number is 19/00420/ADV.