A RESTAURANT bar has been allowed to open despite fears from nearby residents it could herald the return of "boy racers".

The Restaurant Group (UK) plans to turn the Pets at Home store, on Durham’s Arnison Retail Park, into a Frankie and Benny’s Italian-American eating house.

Durham County Council’s statutory licensing sub-committee today (Tuesday, July 15) granted a licence allowing it to sell alcohol until midnight and stay open until 12.30am seven days-a-week.

This was in the face of opposition from residents of Hag House, a nearby exclusive housing estate.

Among them are Liberal Democrat county councillor Nigel Martin and the city’s former Labour MP, Gerry Steinberg.

Cllr Martin, who represents another part of the city, spoke against the application in his capacity as a resident.

He said he was not against the restaurant bar, but was opposed to it opening beyond 11pm and told councillors that residents had endured noise from an existing fast-food restaurant and could disturb people's sleep.

He also told the sub-committee how the retail park used to be a haven for “boy racers” who would gather and drive around at speed in loud cars, carrying out handbrake turns.

He said the problem was solved when the park’s owners installed barriers that were locked every night.

But if gates were kept open until after midnight for Frankie and Benny’s customers, he feared they might return.

Cllr Martin also told the committee that police raised no objections to the licence application, but had not known that the car park would have to stay open.

Heath Thomas, solicitor for the applicants, said the objections were based on the “perceived concerns’’ of residents rather than on evidence.

He said the site had 24/7 security and CCTV monitoring and that the "boy racer" problem had nothing to do with the presence of licensed premises.

Security issues were down to the site owner and its security contractor.

He said the Frankie and Benny’s chain had an exemplary record of operation and that drunkenness would not be tolerated.

Mr Thomas also told councillors that the new restaurant bar would not necessarily stay open until 12.30am.

The Pets at Home store, meanwhile, is moving to a new unit on the retail park.