A legendary Lancashire nightspot, where locals revelled for more than 30 years, is to be converted into bedsits.

The Applejax Nightclub – which first opened its doors on Chorley's Park Road in the late 1970s – will become an 18-room ‘house in multiple occupation’ (HMO) after Chorley Council’s planning committee gave the go-ahead to the change.

The venue – also known as AJs – closed in 2018, around 18 months after the death of co-founder Kurt Smith.

The club later reopened under new management, but shut for good in November 2021 when its licence was revoked following complaints about violence, noise and underage punters.

As part of the conversion, the rear of the distinctive three-storey property – yards from Chorley Town Hall – will be extended on its upper floor.

Committee member Cllr Chris Snow said he welcomed the revamp, as the building was “becoming an eyesore”.

But he added it was “a shame that Chorley can no longer sustain a late-night venue like this”.

Fellow member Cllr Katie Wilkie feared parking would become “a major issue”, because of the number of residents. 

But planning services manager Adele Hayes said the “sustainable” nature of the town centre site – on bus routes and close to the railway station – meant that “a high level of demand for on-street parking” was not anticipated. 

Cycle storage is also to be made available to future occupiers.

Nevertheless, there was some more general concern amongst the committee about the scale of the proposed HMO, with Cllr Alistair Moorwood – describing 18 bedsits as “a lot”.

Similarly, Cllr Craige Southern said he had “issues” with large HMOs regarding their safety – but acknowledged that his concern was not a planning matter, providing the applicant abided by the planning and licensing conditions attached to any permission granted.