AN MP has raised concerns following a fresh application to open a new sports bar at a city centre leisure complex.

Players Bar, a sports bar with venues in Newcastle, Sheffield, Leeds and Birmingham, wants to open at the former Loveshack nightclub, in Durham.

The club, which is part of the Walkergate complex, has been empty since last August when Loveshack closed.

MP Roberta Blackman-Woods has now called for Durham County Council to refuse the licensing application because of her concerns over the concentration of premises at Walkergate.

It follows her call for a review of licensing at the complex in the light of the death of Durham University student Olivia Burt, who died of head injuries after a crowd surge outside Missoula, in February.

She said: “Given the complex and interwoven issues the tragic events outside Missoula in February have raised, including the management of the night time economy, the suitability of the Walkergate complex for a concentration of late licences and the local authority’s licensing policy as a whole, I really hope that the licensing committee will consider the impact another bar in the Walkergate complex will have on public safety and associated issues in Durham, and reject this application.”

The application has been made by Innspired Leisure, a company fronted by Jonathan and Gordon Codona, who run a number of amusement arcades, bars, restaurants, nightclubs and bingo halls.

Shaun Jenkinson, managing director of Players Bar, said the company hoped the bar would open in the summer.

He said: “Loveshack has left a big dent in Durham night life. I would like to think we can fill that and more.

“It should be good for us and a good thing for Durham.”

He said the company had set aside a “hefty budget” to refurbish the premises.

He said: “It’s going to need a complete overhaul. It’s not in a pretty state at the moment.”

Inspector Rachel Stockdale, from Durham Police’s harm reduction unit, said: “When an application is received, we will always look to work closely with the applicant and the council along with the other responsible authorities to ensure the premises is run as safely and as effectively as possible for the customers as well as the wider community.”

Joanne Waller, head of environment, health and consumer protection at Durham County Council, said: “We have received an application for a premises licence from Players Bar which is in its consultation stage and anyone who wants to make representations on this should contact our licensing service at licensing@durham.gov.uk."

Durham County Council says its licensing policy is scheduled for re-adoption in 2019 and it will be holding a full public consultation on the issue.