A Preston nightclub that closed down at the height of the pandemic could be converted into an adult gaming centre.

Krush Sports Bar and Nightclub, on the southern section of Friargate, shut its doors more than three years ago.  It was a magnet for students and sports fans – staging boxing and wrestling matches, as well as live music.

The ground floor venue, opposite St. George’s Shopping Centre, has been home to various similar ventures down the years – including, immediately prior to Krush, Macs.

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Plans submitted to Preston City Council by applicant Jozef Dzuga claim that the gaming arcade would create a dozen new jobs.

There would be no alteration to the front of the building, but the new business would provide what is described by the agent for the proposal as an “active frontage” to the street, with the window of the premises being used for display purposes – unlike its nightclub predecessor.

A design and access statement drawn up by JR Planning Consultants notes that the attraction would be an “appropriate town centre use” under local planning policies – and not one that would not be “inherently noisy”.

“There will be a significant reduction in noise generation compared with the established nightclub use” the document states.

It adds that the proposal is responding to “a known market demand” and would bring a long-term vacant unit “back into beneficial use”.

A swathe of retail premises lie empty along the stretch of Friargate where the building stands, the most recent of which to become vacant is the nearby former Wilko store.

The city council recently approved a separate application for an adult gaming centre in a listed building on the corner of Fishergate and Lune Street.

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