A photograph in last Friday's newspaper showed the wrong building in Hamilton where a new restaurant is planned. The photograph should have shown the building next door.

A leading nightclub owner is planning to turn an old Hamilton drug den into a new steak house restaurant.

Charles Burgess, who owns the Spinning Wheel nightclub, is hoping to create the business in a disused building on Elliott Street.

And he said the plush new restaurant and five upstairs apartments could be open by April.

Planning directors are now discussing the proposal after Mr. Burgess lodged the application last Wednesday.

And Mr. Burgess said: "This is an effort to clean up this part of the neighbourhood.

"I got tired of its reputation for drugs. The street was also getting such a bad name because people aren't living there any more.

"But hopefully this development might change that. It's my neighbourhood, it's everybody's neighbourhood. The building itself had a reputation as a crack house -- a bit of a drug den -- and I wanted to do something to change that perception.'' Mr. Burgess said renovations were underway but had to be put on hold until the plans were approved. But he said the new-look building would include a downstairs restaurant, a one-bedroom apartment and four studio apartments.

He added: "The idea is for the steak house restaurant to include a kind of tex-mex flavour and we would also do breakfasts in there.

"I've got the Spinning Wheel and we have an a la carte restaurant upstairs from that.

"This restaurant would be totally different and run along totally different lines with a totally different menu and atmosphere.

"The plan is that I would develop it and do the work myself but everything I own is for sale at the right price and if a firm came in with the right offer, I would consider it. But right now, we hope to be ready by April.'' Mr. Burgess said the venture would create at least five new jobs, which would be advertised positions. But he added: "The important thing is that this is something which could give the neighbourhood a new image.'' A Planning Department spokesman said the proposal was being considered.

BUSINESS BUC SERVING A NEW PURPOSE -- The planned restaurant site.