MILLIONS of pounds is being spent by the man behind two of Swindon’s favourite restaurants to relocate them to Old Town and bring a former nightclub building back to life.

Alan Mok, who owns Rendezvous, received the keys to the former Studio nightclub in Hooper’s Place on Friday, having been lured by its history, size and potential and has big plans to transform it.

He triumphed over a number of other interested parties to seal a deal on the lease and is aiming to open the new multimillion pound oriental restaurant by September.

The father-of-two, who is also a partner at Kenzo 72 nearby, will be closing Le Rendezvous in Haydon Street on April 23 and his second eatery Swindon Rendezvous near the Wyvern Theatre a week before the new restaurant opens.

He is investing well over £1m to transform the former nightclub, which was Mission and briefly Tiger Bills, into an ultra-modern restaurant with space to serve more than 250 covers, plus a private function room.

Among the interior design features will be high-tech lighting operated by computers with different mood settings, an ample bar area and booths to give it a ‘London feel’.

“This is my dream restaurant as I can have everything I want in one building – this is what I have wanted since I was a kid,” said Alan.

“Swindon Rendezvous has been running for around 30 years and we have built up a good reputation. This is a new exciting project for us and a really exciting time. Hopefully people in Swindon will feel the same.

“We are not going to change how we operate as a restaurant we are just going to bring something a lot bigger and nicer for the customer.

“When people come through the door I want them to think ‘wow’. I looked at this building and thought it has so much potential – it is a beautiful building. I am never going to get this size building in a prime location in Old Town again, so I jumped at the chance to do it."

He added: “I also want to bring something new to Swindon. I want to make it a hub of an eating and entertainment centre.

“It’s a shame that this building after all these years has been left empty like this. Hopefully it’s going to look wonderful.”

Alan also has more plans up his sleeve which he will be revealing in the next coming months, but has teased there will be a big entertainment element and he will be revamping and utilising every inch of the 10,000 sq. ft. building.

He added: “Swindon is really growing and I think this is the right time. I have lived in Swindon all my life and I just want to make something amazing here.”