Part of a York night nightclub looks set to dance to a new tune- as holiday flats!

City of York Planners are recommending councillors back a scheme to downsize Club Salvation in Tanner Row and have holiday flats above.

With a related plan for flats above shops next door, there would be 17 apartments in total.

A report for next Monday’s meeting of planning committee reveals how the nightclub has faced challenges.

Among them, government policies allowing bars to open late and other places nearby receiving late night licenses ‘diluting’ the customer base in the Rougier Street area.

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Council planners continued: “The owners tried to respond to the decline with cheap drink nights to try and keep the customers and eventually turned to attract a student customer base. This has been quite successful, however the expected cheap drinks eat into profit margins. The club charges approximately half the price of drinks elsewhere.”

“At present the club opens Wednesday, Friday and Saturday during term time, which equates to Wednesdays and Fridays for 26 weeks of the year and Saturdays for 50 weeks of the year, although out of term time the Saturdays are very much less busy and at Christmas they do not open at all. Most nights the first floor is closed off after a certain time and sometimes it doesn’t even get opened up. Therefore, having just one floor would make it more viable and have little impact on the club itself.”

Their report recalls planning approval granted in 2019 for the flats and the conversion of the ground floor into a restaurant. This new plan was similar but retaining a smaller nightclub.

Ward councillors Jonny Crawshaw and Pete Kilbane urged planners to ensure the council followed its policy protect cultural facilities, reminding them this includes nightclubs and music venues.

The planners says such change of uses would be ‘resisted’ but hotel use in the city centre is acceptable. Some 5-6 full-time jobs would be created running the flats, which would improve the choice of city centre accommodation.

Their report further noted reducing the capacity of the club from 800 to 500, due to sole ground floor use, would “provide for a more viable venue” which would “retain employment opportunities.”

Recommending approval, planners noted the site was in the Central Historic Core Conservation area and contained three Grade II-listed buildings.

But the proposed change of use and related works would not harm the conservation area or the special interest of the listed buildings.

Serviced apartments were an acceptable use for the city centre. While the partial loss of a nightclub was contrary to one policy, based on the applicant’s submission, retaining a smaller nightclub was acceptable.

Subject to noise and air quality conditions, serviced apartments should not harm the surviving nightclub. Thus, local and national planning policies are met and approval is recommended.