PLANS to transform Swindon’s oldest working men’s club into a Muslim place of worship will be decided tonight.

The proposal, to turn the Gorse Hill Working Men's Club into a meeting point for the Al Habib Islamic Educational and Cultural Centre of Swindon was initially submitted last year but was later withdrawn after officers asked for more information.

The plan will now go before Swindon Council’s planning committee where planning officers have recommended planning permission be granted.

An AHIECCS spokesman said they would not comment until after the planning committee meeting.

Last year more than 260 people lodged their objection to the scheme fearing the transformation of the Chapel Street club, which was built in the 1880s, would cause traffic problems and an increase in noise.

AHIECCS, the group behind the failed bid to turn Oakhurst Primary School into a faith school, bought the club for £440,000 last year.

Speaking to the Adver last year, Shahid Sahu, the then chairman of Al Habib, said the building was ideal as a complement to the group’s Manchester Road base.

He said: “The club is perfect for us. Our centre in Manchester Road is quite small so if we want to have a meeting for many people the club would be perfect.

“There is a big dance hall there, which we can change to a party room.Maybe we can start some events for women because at the moment they are not as involved as I would like.

“We want to continue the work we have started at the Manchester Road centre, where we now have about 40 students regularly. We are growing as an organisation and this is why we need more space.

“This will be for the whole community so Gorse Hill is a good location for this because it is central and Muslims from all over Swindon can get there.”

The club closed its doors in June 2008 and had already been removed from the national list of registered clubs by the Working Men’s Club and Institute Union.

The Schools’ Adjudicator ruled in February 2009 that there was more support for a community school than an Islamic one, so sided with Swindon Council and refused to allow the change at the North Swindon primary school.