The owner of Upper Street's The Mall has applied for a licence to sell alcohol at a new "grocery and home goods" store.

The identity of the supermarket that plans to operate from the Grade II listed flagship building in Islington's famous Camden Passage antiques quarter has yet to be announced.

Proposed licence holders WGTC Nominees Ltd and British Overseas Bank Nominees Ltd want permission from Islington Council to sell alcohol for consumption off the premises from 8am to 11pm every day of the week.

The premises previously housed an antiques market, with small shops running both sides of a long corridor.

Cllr Martin Klute, who represents St Peters Ward - where the former electricity transformer station and tram depot is located - said he is intrigued by the "opaque licensing application" which has "no indication of who the operator will be".

"I'm trying to find out who the operator is, and slightly puzzled why the applicant appears to want to be secretive about it," he said, adding that he is aware of a few residents in his constituency who have objected to the licensing application.

Applicant David Crank, a solicitor at DWF Law who is acting for both applicants, was not able to shed any light on the matter.

He told the Gazette: "I am not in a position to add to what is in the application at this time."

Consultancy firm Pegasus Group has submitted a planning application for listed building consent to put up four illuminated signs and another four which aren't illuminated on the south, west and east sides of The Mall, which is in a conservation area.

In 2009 developer London and Associated Properties (LAP) won a long-standing battle to convert The Mall into a home for fashion chain Jack Wills.

LAP secured planning permission to knock out the internal partitions that used to make up the antiques dealers' small shops.

The council's planning committee had refused listed building consent for the works, but was overruled by a government inspector.