A NEWLY refurbished nightclub which closed after just a month in business has reopened under new management.

JKS Club Regal was unveiled in June promising an “upmarket late night venue” for Eastleigh capable of hosting up to 1,000 revellers and creating up to 40 new jobs.

But the doors were closed by owner Sean Patterson fewer than 30 days later and he has now sold the club, in Market Street, claiming the venture was becoming “too stressful” for him.

The three-storey building has since been reopened as ‘Club Regal’ under the ownership of local businessmen Ryan Smith and Menzie Matthews.

They hope the first night could be as early as next weekend.

The latest chapter in the club’s history comes as police continue to investigate assaults that took place in and around the venue in the early hours of July 7 – just a week after it opened following a massive revamp.

Officers say one fight took place inside the building and others took place nearby with several people restrained by door staff. No arrests have yet been made.

Mr Patterson told the Daily Echo no action had been taken by police but that the episode had had a “slight impact” on his decision to close the doors.

The Daily Echo reported back in March how the former Martine’s nightclub, once a popular venue with clubbers across the south, was to reopen.

Named Club Regal after the cinema that once occupied the building, the venue opened on June 28.

But Mr Patterson, who also runs JKS Wine Bar on High Street, said he had made the decision to close on Sunday July 21.

Mr Patterson funded the extensive overhaul himself and though he declined to reveal the cost of the project, admitted the rebuild had been “substantial” adding that the decision to close and sell was not for financial reasons.

He said: “It was getting too stressful for me. I have just decided to close the doors and leave it.

“I decided it’s not for me, not what I wanted, not what I thought it would be like.

“The club is not finished, it’s just finished with me.”

The 26 people who had been employed have either found new work or been told they will be hired once the venue is up and running again.

Ryan Smith told the Daily Echo last night that the club was now open and that he would be talking to police and licensing chiefs over the coming days.

He said: “It will be safe.

“I have a duty of care to make sure that anyone coming in and leaving gets home safe – including staff and clientele.

“We want to make it into a massive venue and bring the nightlife back in to Eastleigh catering for anyone who is 18 and over.”

  • Additional reporting by Julian Robinson.