Stack has admitted 'unforeseen delays' have set back work on their Durham venue, where work is yet to start six months after plans were approved.

The firm, known for converting shipping containers into bustling leisure venues had plans to turn the former M&S on Durham’s Silver Street greenlit in April.

The ground floor of the unit was occupied by the Yorkshire Trading Company, which closed its doors in early June to make way for Stack.

Read more: STACK to open new multi-storey venue in Durham city centre after plans approved

But the discounter’s ‘closing down’ signs remain in the windows and the venue appears untouched inside three months on, despite Stack having initially said it hoped to open in Durham this winter.

Bosses at Stack have now said they have experienced "unforeseen delays" but have said work is progressing.

The Northern Echo: How the front of the new Stack venue in Durham could look according to plans.How the front of the new Stack venue in Durham could look according to plans. (Image: The Northern Echo)

Neil Winch, CEO at Stack told The Northern Echo: “We are very excited about the scheme in Durham which, despite some unforeseen delays, is now starting to proceed.

"This is a very large scheme and there is a great deal of work being done in the background with designers, structural engineers, etc.

“Work is due to start in the next 4-6 weeks on the asbestos removal and the internal demolition, so again, we are moving forward.”

Once built the Durham site will host food vendors, live music and events.

On the ground floor, there will be eight food traders and two ground areas surrounding a central seating ‘plaza’. A stage will host live music and comedy.

The Northern Echo: The unit on Durham's Silver Street remains empty six months after plans were approved.The unit on Durham's Silver Street remains empty six months after plans were approved. (Image: SARAH CALDECOTT)

There will be four more food traders and two more bars on the first floor, with the second floor designated for a games area.

A licence to sell alcohol between 10am and 12am Monday to Thursday, extended to 1am on Fridays and Saturdays was also approved.

Read more: You'll never guess where Newcastle STACK is being stored (it's actually very obvious)

Planning permission was approved in April despite some opposition from locals, including some who raised concerns about a cobbled back lane to be used as a fire exit route.

At the time Cllr Carl Marshall said: “This isn’t just an establishment that’s going to attract stag and hen dos, it’s going to really diversify the offering in Durham and the wider county.”

The Northern Echo: The inside of the unit appears to have been untouched to passersby looking through the shop window.The inside of the unit appears to have been untouched to passersby looking through the shop window. (Image: NORTHERN ECHO)

Stack first opened on Newcastle’s Pilgrim Street in 2018, and soon rocketed in popularity to be one of the city’s busiest venues. It was forced to close in May last year to make way for new government offices being developed on former Odeon cinema site.

It expanded to Seaburn in September 2020 at the height of lockdown.

Following the success of the initial venues bosses rapidly announced plans for several sites across the region, although none yet opened.

The firm recently announced its shipping container venue in Middlesbrough will open in early 2024.

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A purpose-built site in Bishop Auckland, on the former WHSmith and Mothercare units, was also approved in March this year.

Last month plans for a Stack fanzone outside St James Park in Newcastle, built in partnership with NUFC sponsors Sela, were given the green light. An opening date of Spring 2024 has been floated.

Plans are also in the works for a permanent site at Worswick Chambers on Pilgrim Street in the city, just a stone’s throw from Stack’s initial location. Last November bosses cancelled plans for a pop-up venue behind Central Station after opposition from locals and said they would focus on the permanent location.

Bosses are also working on sites in Carlisle, Northampton and Lincoln, with the former Hatch container village in Manchester also being transformed into a Stack.