Burnley Council planning officers will decide the application at a later date, with the applicant citing shifting demographics and a lack of interest in the site as the reason for the redevelopment plans.

A working men’s club, that has been part of the social and political fabric of Burnley for more than a century, is set to be turned into a mixed development of 15 homes and flats.

An application has been submitted to redevelop Byerden House Socialist Club on Colne Road, bringing a possible end to an institution whose history stretches back to at least 1913.

The former club has stood empty since 2019, with developers now arguing there is no longer demand for its original use. Documents show that the building has been unsuccessfully marketed for years, with no serious interest from anyone willing to continue its use as a social club.

Although Byerden House has lain empty for the past seven years, for much of the last century, the working men’s institution was a fixture of Burnley life, and part of the fabric of the town’s Labour and Co-operative movements.

Incorporated in 1913 as Byerden House Socialist Society Club and Institute, it survived two world wars and the decline of Burnley’s industrial economy before finally falling silent six years ago.

The site occupies almost 10,000sqft and contains a basement, main club rooms and function spaces including a stage, bar and pool area, together with another first-floor function room.

Under the plans, those rooms would be converted into a mix of one, two and three-bedroom homes. Nine new houses would also be created as part of the proposed development.

The applicant makes clear that multiple attempts to save the historic venue have failed, with a letter from Brent Forbes Chartered Surveyors explaining that shifting demographics make the site unsuitable for the purpose.

The surveyors said: “There was no interest as a licensed property, as this area has changed. “There is a high Muslim community, and an alcohol-based business would not succeed.”

Just a year before Byerden House’s closure, a crowdfunding appeal was launched by volunteer manager Mark Procter, detailing how historic legal issues relating to a faulty heating system had forced the sale of the building, which was then rented back so it could continue a social club.

However, the funding bid gathered little attention and raised just £55. Within a year, the club had closed.

Burnley Council planning officers will decide the application at a later date.