A fine-dining restaurant, which has been in dispute with staff over wages for more than three months, is closed this evening.

Plymouth Live reported last week how chefs quit their jobs at Villa Amaranta at The Dome on the Hoe, after they were not paid on time for the third month in a row.

Last month, other staff members said how they had not received any wages, but Howard Goddard, owner of the rustic Italian restaurant, said he paid staff £500 of their wages, after he 'had a five-figure sum stolen from the venue'.

Today, former staff at Villa Amaranta said the venue "has shut down" and they had lost their jobs after receiving an email from owner stating "it is anticipated that the company will be entering liquidation in due course".

Plymouth Live has made efforts to speak with Mr Goddard, but has not yet received a response.

The venue, which opened in October, was shut at around 6.30pm this evening with a blue shutter down at the front entrance.

Villa Amaranta at The Dome appears to have closed
Villa Amaranta at The Dome appears to have closed

An email seen by Plymouth Live, addressed to all Villa Amaranta staff, signed by Mr Goddard, read: "I have to regretfully advise you that as a result of the advices we received yesterday, right through into the evening, together with conversations we had with others relating to the companies position, it ceased trading at close of business last night and it is anticipated that the company will be entering liquidation in due course.

"The company is no longer in a position to continue your contract of employment and you should therefore regard your service as terminated, with effect from June 12, 2019.

"The proposed liquidators will be writing to you in due course, but in the meantime regarding amounts outstanding, you will need to make a claim by submitting information online at www.gov.uk/claim-redundancy."

It is understood that a representative for Villa Amaranta met staff earlier today to answer questions and explain the procedure to make claims for their outstanding wages.

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History of The Dome

The Dome building was designed by Tony Irish, who also designed Plymouth Magistrates' Court and the campus-style school at Lipson, and built in 1988.

It was first used as a museum and tourist attraction centre covering the history of Plymouth and officially opened the building on July 20, 1988 - prior to its completion - and unveiled a plaque commemorating the 400th anniversary of the defeat of the Spanish Armada.

In 1989 the museum was opened to the public.

It was then officially opened again in November 1989, on the 150th anniversary of the sailing of the Tory for New Zealand from Plymouth, by His Excellency Mr Bryce Harland, who was then the high commissioner for New Zealand.

It was a wonderful walk through time, and it was thought to have attracted around 60,000 visitors a year.

The attraction suffered from the fact the the best bit, the Tudor street scene, came at the beginning and the displays became less inspiring as your walked through the building.

In 2006, visitor numbers decreased, which led for Plymouth City Council to make the decision to lease the building to a company who planned to turn it into a restaurant, but the plans fell through and the Dome closed.

The Dome remained empty for more than five years, until late 2011.

The restaurant plans came to reality thanks to celebrity chef Gary Rhodes, and "Rhodes @ The Dome" opened in January 2013, and went on to win an AA Rosette.

The restaurant closed temporarily in March 2014 when it was damaged by the storms which battered the city and wrecked the Wet Wok and Waterfront restaurants at West Hoe.

That same month is was revealed an operating company had taken over and the business had plans to open a £250,000 events and function space, in the lower floor.

But this never happened and in January 2016 Rhodes severed his ties with the restaurant, without giving a clear reason, but said Plymouth would always have “a special place in my heart” describing it as “a great and vibrant city”.

The restaurant was re-branded as The Dome.

In January 2018, the restaurant parted ways with its head chef after being given a damning food hygiene report , and a score of zero.

The report detailed that the lowest possible rating followed years of unsatisfactory standards and in 2013, 2015 and 2016, the restaurant failed inspections.

The report stated that the eatery needed to make major improvements around cleanliness and management of food safety following the inspection on January 18.

In October 2018 it reopened as Villa Amaranta at The Dome, and in December 2018 received the highest possible food hygiene rating by inspectors.

On June 13, 2019, the restaurant appeared to have closed.