A continuing rise the rate of drug-taking and the number of patrons “fuelling up” on alcohol at home before going out have been cited by Armada Hospitality Group director Craig Shearer.

He will re-open the club as a tapas-style bar that is more attractive to a broader and — most likely — better behaved, market.

Groove Saint, while popular with its patrons, has had a chequered history, including time on the NSW list of the state’s most violent venues.

Management was compelled to adopt measures designed to curb the number of violent incidents at the venue.

While Mr Shearer noted the nightclub has recently had the level 2 club classification removed, he also believed it was time to move on and turn the old Groove Saint into a “funky, metro-style bar”.

That will involve an internal refit and opening the front of the building to Dean Street to provide the city with another major indoor-outdoor dining area.

The project will allow the old “saint”, so loved and loathed by its patrons, to emerge in a crowded but quality line-up that serves a keen Border audience.