THE owner of Durham's only cinema says it will have to close regardless of plans to turn it into an Australian theme pub.

City-based property company Troveworth Ltd bought the building that houses the Robins Cinema, in North Road, 11 years ago for £500,000.

But it says the cinema, operated by Bill Freedman Ltd since the original Robins company went bankrupt in 1999, is no longer viable.

Around 2,000 people have signed a petition to save the cinema. It will be presented to next month's Durham Crown Court appeal over the drinks licence for the 700-capacity Walkabout pub planned for the building.

Troveworth managing director Audrey Alliston said in a statement that the cinema had a heavily subsidised rent. "If a commercial rent were to be charged and the necessary repairs carried out to the building to bring it up to acceptable modern standards, the operation would not be viable."

The Robins' viability was also affected by the 'superior facilities offered by the multiplex cinemas within the region.'

This led to major operators passing up the chance to operate the multiplex originally proposed for Durham City Council's Walkergate development but now dropped from the scheme.

"It is also significant that no major cinema operator has approached Troveworth Ltd with a view to running a cinema from the premises," said Ms Alliston. In such circumstances, there necessarily has to be a limit to the ability and willingness of Troveworth Ltd to subsidise so heavily continued use of the building as a cinema for the relatively small number of Durham residents who patronise the cinema regularly.''

Cinema manager Brenda Ryder said: "We'll have to wait and see what happens. Hopefully we will be staying here but we just don't know.''