BOSSES of one of York’s biggest nightclubs have applied for planning permission to convert it into a restaurant and apartments - but insist it is NOT closing down.

They say they may instead need to relocate Club Salvation if it finds itself “unsupported by our surroundings,” following the opening of the nearby Malmaison Hotel in former Aviva offices and the expansion of the Grand Hotel.

A spokesman for club owners McMillan (York) Ltd said they had applied to City of York Council for permission to convert the 820-capacity club in George Hudson Street into a ground floor restaurant, with holiday apartments above.

He said: “The area around us is changing dramatically, with the 100-bedroom extension to the Grand Hotel and the conversion of the Aviva building into a 150 bedroom luxury Malmaison hotel.

“It’s possible that, at some point in the future, we could find ourselves unsupported by our surroundings and if that should happen, we may need to find a new home for Salvation and create something more appropriate in the existing building.”

He said the scheme, which had been designed by DC Architects of Bishopthorpe, would see the existing building restored to its former glory by the addition of two storeys, which were removed sometime in the late 1950s or early 1960s.

He said the club had been at the forefront of late night culture in York for more than 25 years, delivering late-night entertainment to locals and students, with a focus on “value for money drinks and a great, fun atmosphere created through music.”

“If a time comes when Salvation needs to relocate, we will take these values with us,” he said.

“However, for the foreseeable future, Salvation will continue to deliver them at its home in George Hudson Street. The planning application we are submitting is just one future possibility.”