The Courier & Advertiser (Angus and Dundee)
Former city nightclub set to welcome back revellers
One of Dundee’s most iconic buildings is finally set to reopen as a bar and restaurant.
It has been more than a year in the making, at a cost of £800,000, but the St Roques Library site, best known as the former Reading Rooms nightclub, will soon be welcoming revellers once more.
Ambitious plans to renovate the Blackscroft site were submitted to Dundee City Council last year by Blackscroft Property Company, led by businessman Derek Souter.
Covid-19 and planning issues delayed the launch, which Derek had hoped would happen last July.
Now Derek is aiming for a May 17 opening, when pubs are able to start trading indoors again.
Initially he will open the beer garden only, as work to the inside of the B-listed building continues.
Derek said: “It has been a long time coming but renovation of the outside area is complete, we have been given planning permission and we are hoping to be ready to open the beer garden on May 17.”
The building most recently operated as the nightclub.
It traded as the venue from 2008 until 2019, when it was forced to close due to police fears over drug taking. Then operators of the Reading Rooms, Jim and Grant Grieve, denied all wrongdoing.
Now Derek hopes the past can be left behind and the new bar, which he has yet to confirm the name of, will have a new lease of life in the £800,000 renovation.
Initially Derek had hoped to open in March last year but soon realised the building needed more work than originally thought, at the same time as the coronavirus pandemic hit.
He said: “The late March lockdown and onwards has
“This investment will protect and create jobs
fundamentally changed the venue’s future and necessitated immediate action, plans and the requirement to accelerate the garden/terrace development.”
The new pub and beer garden will have capacity for up to 125 people.
While inside work is ongoing, the outdoor area will operate as a bar and grill.
The plans include maintenance to the exterior of St Roques.
“This investment will protect and create jobs, prevent business closure and promote economic recovery,” he added.