CONSERVATIONISTS have thanked city residents for supporting their fight to save a landmark.

A petition run by the City of Durham Trust against plans to demolish Brown's Boathouse was signed by 4,002 people.

Earlier this month, it was handed to the public inquiry into Leftbank Development's proposals to knock down the 19th Century building, which is closely linked to the city's rowing history, and replace it with a 1,000-capacity glass-fronted pub.

The trust, which says the scheme will have a bad impact on the city conservation area, objected to the plan and spoke against it at the inquiry.

It claimed that the building, which has structural problems, could be saved and put to a new use, and that people did not want to see it disappear.

Trust secretary Roger Cornwell said: "We can't contact everyone individually but we'd like to thank the more than 4,000 people who signed the petition, which is a marvellous number.

"We presented it to the public inquiry and left the inspector in no doubt about the strength of opinion on the subject.

"We hope he will come to a decision that may allow the boathouse to be renovated.

"If he does that, it will be a decision that the vast majority of people will welcome, which the petition shows clearly."

He added that if the building was saved a "more pro-active approach will have to be taken by the city council."

A decision on the building's future will be announced by the planning inspector who chaired the inquiry