PLANS to open a £3m pub and restaurant scheme, that will create up to 120 jobs in the centre of Durham, have been delayed five months.

Cathedrals, in the city's Victorian former police station, in Court Lane, had been due to open this month in time for the Christmas rush.

Work on the building's conversion has been suspended for several weeks, and the complex is expected to open at the end of April.

Cathedrals managing director Richard Lazenby, former chairman of Teesside sausage firm, Mr Lazenby's, blamed a snag in getting a drinks licence for holding up the work.

He said: "Delays in our application for a drinks licence for Cathedrals have meant that our planned opening date of November could not be met.

"As a result of the delay, which has caused a knock-on effect for us, not only in terms of timing, but also with our main financial backers, work has been temporarily suspended.

"Work on site will begin again on Monday, December 11, and everything will be focused on our new opening target of the end of April 2001." Mr Lazenby won licences for a bistro and a restaurant on the first and second floors of the building in August.

However, his application for a ground- floor pub licence, opposed by police, residents, Durham University, and Elvet Methodist Church, over fears of noise and nuisance, hit a technical hitch and had to be re-submitted.

The city's licensing panel granted the pub licence in September, after hearing that the "unique" eating and drinking complex would not be aimed at young drinkers.

Cathedrals will feature food from local suppliers, and beer brewed on the premises.

Mr Lazenby said: "The Cathedrals management team, which is now ten strong, has been working hard over the past few months on refining plans for the complex, and further developing the supply chain we will be using once open.

"There has been no change in our plans regarding what Cathedrals will offer once open, or indeed our intention to employ over 100 staff.''

Some job offers had been made and a second recruitment drive would start in January.