CLUB bosses have opened the doors to their new Chelmsford city centre premises.

The Loop welcomed punters in Tindal Street for the first time on Saturday with a DJ set from former Specials member Neville Staple.

The opening comes just over a month after co-owners Jon Board and Marc Miller decided to shut Hooga, formerly Barhouse, in Victoria Road, after persistent noise complaints from neighbouring homes.

A dance floor area takes up the ground floor with a lounge bar on the first floor and kitchen above.

Mr Miller said there are big plans for the new building which may come into force should the first few months run smoothly.

“We have always been looking for a more central location, especially for the last year or two,” he said.

“We still want to do the music nights which were at Hooga, but we also want to bring more of a bar feel to the place.

“With the space we’ve got here we could have a roof terrace bar which during the summer months would be good along with a restaurant section next to our kitchen on the top floor, but at the moment we’ll just see how things pan out before deciding whether to open up those plans.”

His colleague added they hope to attract more customers because of the location.

Mr Board said: “Hooga was situated in a less central location.

“Now we are really on a crossroads in the middle of town so passing trade will be a bigger factor as there’ll be people coming in and walking past more often.”

Themed evenings at the Loop will include a comedy night, an indie anthems night and hip hop and funk.