Bolton Council plan to turn the former Robin Hood public house on Halliwell Road into a community, gym and education and training centre.
This is the third application made to change the use of the pub.
In September 2011 an application was made to create a restaurant and first floor flat which was approved but subsequently never took place.
In 2013 an application was made to convert the building into a nursery but this was turned down by the planners, mainly on the grounds of there being insufficient safe parking for the dropping off and picking up of children.
Some years back the owner applied to rip out the front to create a large standard retail frontage with shutters but after a site visit the planning committee felt the ‘distinctive and historic’ facade was worth keeping.
Following this the owners have renovated the frontage and made minor changes to the site.
The Platinum Community Centre, the organisation that will be set up to manage the centre, aim ‘to engage, promote and implement opportunities for young people to participate in sports and recreation activities, Arts, Education and employment advice and training’.
The objectives of the Platinum Community Centre will be to ‘remove young people from a life of alcohol, drugs and organised crime’ by provided them with a range of sporting, cultural and educational activities.
The application is due to be heard on April 3.
