Under the proposals 9Bar on Prince of Wales Road would be transformed into a boozer with an area for darts and a pool table.

Vishal Bhardwaj, the applicant who submitted the plans to Norwich City Council, said there would be no changes to the building, which is currently empty, only adjustments to the interior.

As part of his plans, half of the basement will be turned into a kitchen and food preparation area and the remaining half into storage space.

The ground floor will continue to be used as the main customer area where Mr Bhardwaj proposes to install a bar counter as well as a customer seating and drinking space.

In addition, the first floor will continue to be used for customer activities where the darts board and pool table will go.

On the second floor, one room will be used for staff, while a second room for private bookings.

Planners for Norwich City Council are yet to make a decision over the proposals.

Meanwhile, the old karaoke bar has had its windows covered in newspaper and remains shrouded in scaffolding.

The building is currently shrouded in scaffolding (Image: Newsquest)

A SING-ALONG SENSATION

Karaoke, the form of entertainment where people sing along to popular songs played without the lead vocals is believed to have Japanese origins where it gained popularity in bars in the late 1970s.

The word comes from the Japanese "kara" meaning "empty" and "okesutora" meaning orchestra.

However, there is controversy over who actually invented the first karaoke machine.

Some records say Daisuke Inoue, a nightclub musician, invented the first karaoke-style machine in 1971 while others also credit Roberto del Rosario, a Filipino entrepreneur and piano manufacturer.

By the late 1980s, music labels and electronics firms began mass-producing accompaniment tapes and dedicated playback decks, which turned karaoke into a mainstream social activity.

© Eastern Daily Press