Wetherspoon’s Sunderland pub the Cooper Rose has reopening now put back again to 2022

The JD Wetherspoon bar in Albion Place has been undergoing a £2.2million refurbishment, with a roof terrace its most notable new feature.

The Echo reported in May that work was scheduled to take around four months, and were given a reopening date of October 25 at a cost of £2 million. By early October that had been amended to November 16.

That also passed and last week Wetherspoon gave a new date of December 14. However, the company contacted us the following day to say that there had been a mistake.

They apologised and said the information they gave us “was written in good faith and contained the correct date, but it was changed today (December 3)”.

A new date of Monday, December 20 was then given. But the pub will not be opening on that date either. Work is still going on inside, with scaffolding still up at the rear of the building.

Wetherspoon now say that the reopening will be in 2022, but have yet to announce an exact new date, which would be the fifth one given.

The Echo has asked for the reasons for the delay, but Wetherspoon say they will provide more detail when they are able to do so.

Work is being carried out by Oldham-based construction firm Medlock, whose website still refers to a handover in October.

The Cooper Rose first opened its doors in March 2011. Many Wearsiders still remember the building as the Durham Book Centre.

When it reopens, access will have been improved throughout the pub with a lift able to reach every part of the premises, including the new terrace which offers rooftop views across Sunderland.

The ground floor bar will be bigger and summer doors have been added to the front of the building.

The pub will be the latest city centre venue to open its doors again after refurbishment. Nearby bar Hidden opened in July, while the Engine Room in High Street West opened again in October. The Fire Station Auditorium stages its first show on Friday, December 10.

Support your Echo and become a subscriber today.

Enjoy unlimited access to all of our news and sport, see fewer ads, experience faster load times, test your brain with daily puzzles and get access to exclusive newsletters.

Your support for our journalism means we can continue telling Sunderland’s stories for generations to come. Click here to subscribe – and click here to get a snapshot of the Echo’s news and sport to your inbox through our email newsletters.