A Lancashire chef and restaurateur has announced plans to spend more than £1million on a flagship venue in Manchester.

Paul Heathcote said that one of the main features of the new restaurant will be a wine cellar containing more than 50 varieties of champagne - the largest selection in the city and one of the largest in the north west.

The celebrity chef's empire started with a restaurant in Higher Road, Longridge, in the early 1990s and he now has a portfolio of 15 restaurants across the North West.

He is investing in The Elliot, a fine dining establishment that will replace the existing Simply Heathcotes, in Jackson Row.

Mr Heathcote said: "I want this to be a restaurant which all of Manchester can be proud of. I am aiming to create the best restaurant in the city.

"It will be something really different to what is on offer at the present time and we hope this is an opportunity to really raise the bar in terms of quality."

The Elliot, a 70-cover restaurant will be located downstairs in the listed building in Jacksons Row.

Simply Heathcotes, which is currently upstairs in Jacksons Row, will close on March 9.

The work on the restaurant follows an announcement by the chef last June that he was intending to invest more than £3million to expand the number of eateries he had open.

The existing staff at Simply Heathcotes will all keep their jobs and will work at alternative restaurants within the Paul Heathcote portfolio until The Elliot opens later in the year.

Mr Heatcote employs around 750 people in total across the north west.