A BUSINESSMAN has closed his bar, blaming the lack of regeneration in the Hythe for part of its downfall.

Steve Adams, of Colchester, closed the Quayside Bar last week with the loss of five jobs.

He had run the establishment for eight years.

But Mr Adams said he took the decision because of the lack of investment in the area.

He said: “Everyone keeps saying there is going to be a big regeneration of the Hythe.

“But it’s in a worse state than it’s ever been.

“There are other reasons too, but in the end we decided it was best to get out now.”

Mr Adams opened the bar in 2008 and put thousands of pounds into turning it around with a refurbishment.

But the bar was subject to a licensing hearing last year after an 18th birthday party went wrong in 2015.

There had been 60 people expected at the party, but many more underage teens turned up and crashed the event.

Police turned up and complained to Colchester Council, which said Mr Adams could no longer continue as manager, but that the bar could remain open.

Instead, Mr Adams’s partner and staff took over the general running of the establishment.

He said: “It was a big mountain out of a molehill.

“A burger van has recently started selling right outside the premises, when we are already selling food. The council has said it can’t do anything, but if it parked up in the High Street, I would like to see what they did.

“We are still getting calls for lunches now even though we’re closed, which is nice.

“It’s very sad, but what with everything going on and with there being no real regeneration of the Hythe, it was time to call it a day.”

Cyril Thomas, chair of Hythe Forward, a community group set up to help guide regeneration of the area, said the people who live and work in the Hythe need to change their mindset.

He said: “Our group is constructed of volunteers from the community.

“If people are not part of the solution, they should stop complaining.

“There are people here who have helped to get the train station renamed, changed the name of our ward, helped support local businesses and help the community centre retain the right to remain in its building. There are a lot of things going on.

“If you’re looking from the outside in, then you might not see it right away. But no one is stopping anyone from helping us. People need to change their mindset and get involved. Change isn’t going to happen overnight.”