PLANS have been submitted to demolish one of Reading's oldest, best loved and most iconic night clubs, to build apartments in its place.

Located on London Street, After Dark has been supplying discount alcohol and big-budget pop tunes to the revellers of Reading since the 1980s.

Now its village hall charm and continued existence is under threat thanks to an application submitted to Reading Borough Council by Richard James Homes Ltd.

The plans request permission to tear down the nightclub and build ten apartments, five two bed and five one bed, along with a courtyard and cycle storage where it stood.

Those loyal to the establishment were quick to take to Twitter to express their concerns.

Liam O'Brien wrote: "It is essential this place does not close down."

His sentiments were echoed by Abbo Trevor who drew attention to the "Red Stripe, sticky floors, sweaty walls, 90's Indie", concluding "Save the After Dark".

A statement from club owner Neil Richards posted on Wednesday afternoon assured punters the short term future of the club was safe, but that its long term existence was unclear.

It read: "In the very short term everything will run as normal at The Club. My current lease runs until the end of the year and should not be affected by these developments.

"The medium and long term is obviously far less certain and will naturally depend in large part upon the outcome of the planning process.

“It might be helpful if I provide a bit of background to where we find ourselves today. Last year I went to see my landlord to inform him that The After Dark was no longer financially viable for me at the current rent.

"I discussed buying the freehold from him but the difficulty is that the After Dark has one value as a nightclub but another much higher value as a piece of development land.

"The After Dark has occupied an enormous part of my personal and professional life for more than a quarter of a century and I will obviously be tremendously sad if that association comes to an end.

"Unfortunately the long term future of The After Dark Club is no longer in my hands. In the short term however, we are very much open for business and look forward to welcoming friends old and new on Friday and Saturday nights."

A public consultation period began on October 18. To have your say go to tinyurl.com/jjqwfxc