THE site of a former York superclub could become a new gym after an outdoor clothing firm moved out.

Proposals have been handed in to City of York Council for the Clifton Moor building which once housed the Ikon & Diva nightclub and was vacated by Great Outdoors earlier this year.

The family firm took over the Stirling Road site last spring.

But planning documents sent to the council by the agents for the gym scheme, Jefferson Sheard Architects, said it had left in April and the building had since been empty.

A statement said it was now earmarked for a “commercial gym operator”, although the name of the company has not yet been revealed. The site is alongside Roko gym.

A decision on the plans is expected to be made in September. If they are approved, the scheme would include 140 parking spaces, more than the site currently has, with its layout returning to the way it was when the nightclub was in operation.

When Great Outdoors moved in, the company said it had spent £1 million on refurbishing the building, which had been out of use following the closure of Ikon & Diva in 2005.

The company said it would create 20 jobs and be its largest outlet, representing a “huge expansion” for its business, but could not be contacted about the reasons for its departure from the building.

Jefferson Sheard said the planning application would mean a formal “change of use” of the building, from retail to leisure, but said: “It should be noted that the building has previously been designated [for leisure use] when it housed the Ikon & Diva nightclub.”

Luminar Leisure, which leased the nightclub site, decided to close the 2,000-capacity club eight years ago, blaming changes to licensing laws which had allowed late-night bars to operate in the city centre.