THE former home of a York club is set to be demolished to make way for a block of student flats.

The Bootham and Monk Ward Conservative Club in Clarence Street could be knocked down and a student accommodation block of 43 studio flats built in its place, under plans submitted to City of York Council.

The club, which dates back more than a century, sold the site after members voted to merge with the Heworth Conservative Club.

Developer Clarence Street York Ltd has applied for planning permission to build a two and three storey building on the site of the former club, close to York St John University.

A report submitted with the application says the club building "has very little heritage significance".

It says the club is built on part of a terrace of houses dating back to around 1852 but that much of the current building is modern.

The heritage report adds: "The three buildings were part of a terrace of superior status and were intended for housing for York’s growing middle-class.

"Their higher status is shown by the generous forecourts fronting Clarence Street and the large and landscaped back gardens shown on the 1852 map, one of which included a ‘summer house’ as well as other outbuildings.

"By 1891 the density of housing had increased.

"There was extensive demolition and re-building in the area in the later twentieth century."

By 1962 the site was labelled as a Conservative Club on the Ordnance Survey maps.

The planning application says: "Currently the site houses a disused club, which is boarded up and in a poor state of repair, flanked by two terraced houses.

"The scheme will be carefully crafted to create a high quality contemporary building which harmonises with the surrounding developments, drawing on traditional materials from the surrounding area whilst providing a modern, well thought out development.

"The proposed buildings will serve to revitalise the street scene and replace run down, unsightly buildings to both street frontages, improving the setting of the conservation area."

View the application at planningaccess.york.gov.uk/online-applications reference 21/00781/FULM .