From bangers to bedsits: beloved Chorley nightclub bites the dust

The Applejax Nightclub - which first opened its doors on 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 its co-founder Kurt Smith. The club later reopened under new management, but shut for good in November 2021 when its licence was revoked by the local authority following complaints about violence, noise and underage punters. 

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As part of the conversion, the rear of the distinctive three-storey property - which stands just 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”. However, he added that it was “a shame that Chorley can no longer sustain a late-night venue like this”.

Fellow member Cllr Katie Wilkie told the meeting she 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 - who is also the borough authority's cabinet member for planning and development - describing a dozen-and-a-half bedists 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.    

Residents of the converted three-storey property will each have an ensuite bathroom, while three shared kitchens will be created on each floor of the premises.

The application was approved unanimously.