Jobs set to pour in as work on new pub starts

The new pub development under construction at Dalton Park.

Construction is under way on The Dancing Betty, which is expected to open at Dalton Park, in Murton, this summer.

JobCentre Plus is working alongside the pub owner Marstons to recruit the staff, although the roles available for the 30 to 35 full and part-time workers are yet to be announced.

The building will be the first to be seen by visitors to Dalton Park.

The firm already runs The Crow’s Nest, in East Shore Village, in Seaham, The Burn Inn in Houghton, Floater’s Inn in Fence Houses and Teal Farm, Highwayman, Cherry Tree and Black Bush in Washington.

The Murton venue is part of the £45million phase two expansion of the shopping outlet on the former pit site.

It has already welcomed a Cineworld cinema, KFC, Prezzo, Frankie and Bennie’s and Pizza Express.

The pub is being built to the left of the road as shoppers enter the park and will make it the first business to welcome visitors once complete.

It will have an outdoor patio and seating area, pergola and a children’s play area, with staff accommodation upstairs.

Designers say the look of the building has been inspired by traditional coaching inns, taverns and public houses and reflects that it is a place to eat and drink as a “social family event.”

Its plans, approved by Durham County Council, add “the style reflects a contemporary and modern feel with traditional values of a public house.”

A member of staff will be on site at all times.

The lease for a large unit also built as part of the new development has been taken on by Morrisons, but it is yet to move into the site.