Health and fitness club operator Bannatyne Fitness is to open a £700,000 bar-restaurant concept called Bar Bannatyne at The Gate leisure destination in Newcastle.

The company has secured a 25-year lease on a 3,228sq ft unit with a 925sq ft mezzanine floor.

Work is due to begin this month with the opening planned for November.

Bannatyne director, Nigel Armstrong, said: “A bar-restaurant concept is something we have been interested in for a while. We have got experience in the liquor and entertainment side and wanted to get into the front end of the market.”

The venue has been designed in a Moroccan-Mediterranean style with tiled flooring by Whitley Bay-based SBD Partnership.

Bannatyne operates 35 health clubs – each of which offer licensed bars – and also operates the New Grange Hotel in Darlington which includes Maxines Bistro and bar.

The company is also currently developing Bannatyne's Casino in Newcastle which will also offer bar and restaurant facilities.

The Gate development also includes bars and restaurants including Tiger Tiger, Beyond Bar, Hide Bar, Lloyds No 1, Mood, Frankie & Benny’s, Spice Cube, Pizza Hut and Sam Jack’s. Aspinall’s is also expected to open an Aspers casino.