A FURNITURE company has abandoned plans to move out of Durham City and is instead relocating around the corner.

Durham Pine had planned to leave its store in North Road and move its operation to an existing base a few miles away at Sherburn Hill.

But a unit has become available inside the neighbouring Milburngate Shopping Centre and the company has chosen to move there later this month.

Durham Pine, which has stores across the country, has been in Durham since 1984, but the lease has run out on its North Road premises.

It had considered the move to Sherburn Hill because the premises are bigger and it would have been able to offer customers a bigger range of furniture kept in stock and easier parking.

The company's assistant marketing manager Ian Stewart said: "About a month after we decided on the move to Sherburn Hill our commercial director was phoned with a good deal for the former Leveys wallpaper shop.

"We didn't really want to come out of the centre of Durham. The old store is closing on February 23 and we will be opening in the Milburngate Centre on the following day.

He said they would also have lost some passing trade.

Plans to convert the first floor of the North Road store into a restaurant were approved recently by Durham City Council