City centre pub’s bid for expansion welcomed

NEWS that a city centre bar is to expand has been welcomed in the wake of recent nightspot closures.

The owners of the Abode at St Andrew’s Street have applied to the council to take over the rear of the pub, which currently belongs to a neighbouring retail unit.

The plans were submitted by Dundee firm ARKTX on behalf of the pub’s owner Michael Johnston.

Mr Johnston also owns the building at number 24, but apart from the space to the rear of The Abode, it is not involved in the application.

The bid follows the closure of Out Nightclub and B4 Out, just a short distance away at the Seagate, which closed their doors on New Year’s Day.

A recent Tele poll revealed nearly 85% of Dundonians go out less than they did five years ago. Just 4.8% of readers said they now go out more than they did before.

But Grant Leslie, boss of nearby nightclub Industry, said the expansion of Abode — which often hosts live music — could indicate that Dundee’s nightlife economy is actually improving.

He said: “Things are still on the up in Dundee. For ourselves January has been better than last year’s, and we’re welcoming a lot of people.

“At the end of the day things have been worse before and they’re getting better now.

“People went off going out – but for ourselves at least, things are looking good. Now people are going out, wanting to try new things instead of sitting at home.”

Maryfield councillor Lynne Short, whose ward incorporates the city centre, said prospects were good for city centre businesses.

“I know of traders who have moved into the city centre because although things may not be great presently they wanted to be there and up and running before things started to change.

“There’s definitely optimism in the city centre.

“When I go to networking events I often meet a lot of people from other cities.

“They’re keen to say that they are impressed by the forward thinking of Dundee and the fact things are happening here.”

A spokeswoman for the Dundee and Angus Chamber of Commerce said: “It’s positive to see businesses expanding. This highlights the general feeling of growing business confidence in the city.”