THE fate of a former York working man's club has come closer to being decided - as a planning application has been made to turn it into flats.

Members and guests at Layerthorpe & District Working Men's Club, in Little Hallfield Road, supped their last pints in September after brewers John Smith's Ltd decided to sell up.

The club was established 92 years ago, had 400 members, and had spent 30 years in Little Hallfield Road.

But the Tadcaster-based brewery decided to sell last August, pointing to the £175,000 of debt they said the club had run up.

Despite an offer from member Gordon Harrison to buy the building, Leeds-based building firm JTM developments stepped in and snapped it up.

They have now applied to build 24 flats on the site. When the club closed down, Tang Hall resident and member of 40 years Eddie Senior accused John Smith's of "selling regulars down the road".

He added: "We have worked hard for the past two years to get the club back on its feet and now they have pulled the plug."

And club secretary Ann Barker, who was left without a job by the closure, said: "It's the end of an era and the end of a centre for the community.

"Lots of members of this community are losing out."

But a former Layerthorpe member today said that clubs "need to do more" to attract the punters.

The former member, who declined to give his name, said: "It's a real shame that these clubs are closing but a lot of them don't do enough to help themselves.

"They want to get bands on, things like that, and then they might get more through the doors.

"I hadn't been to the club for quite a while but a few people I know were going up until it closed.

"I'm sure they'll miss it."

The application is due to be considered by City of York Council on January 8.

The Frog Hall pub, a couple of hundred metres from the Layerthorpe club, is also under threat from plans to turn it into a McDonalds and a video shop. The plans sparked massive opposition, headed by an Evening Press campaign.

And yesterday we reported how the INL Club, in Speculation Street, is up for sale because of "financial difficulties".

Updated: 10:29 Friday, November 23, 2001