Controversial bar calls last orders after just six years

May 11 2009 by Neil McKay, The Journal

A PUB chain which defied public opposition to open a £2m bar has closed it after just six years.

More than 2,000 Durham residents signed a petition opposing the opening of the Walkabout Australian theme bar in North Road when plans to open it were first mooted.

The huge bar, with a 700-strong capacity, replaced the Robins Cinema which had stood on the same site for decades.

Durham Police and the City of Durham Trust also opposed the application by Regent Inns plc to open the bar.

But Judge Beatrice Bolton, sitting with four magistrates at Durham Crown Court, overruled licensing justices who refused an application.

Yesterday Regent Inns issued a terse statement saying: “Following an extensive review of its property portfolio, Regent Inns can confirm that we have closed the Walkabout bar in Durham. The venue closed Saturday, May 2, 2009. This decision is in line with the board's stated intent of reducing debt and operating costs. “