A historic Bury town centre building which housed two nightclubs beset with licensing issues has been put for sale.

The former Royal Hotel on Silver Street has been listed for either sale or lease by the owner.

It follows ongoing licensing issues relating to one former, and one current tenant of the building.

The rear of the building was formerly occupied by nightclub Hidden Bar, which closed in October 2022. Its current occupant Club Sixty Six, had its own licence revoked in June this year.

Estate agents Pearson Ferrier, which is facilitating the sale of the building for £1.2m, describes the building, which is around 150 years old, as "a great development opportunity" for re-let, for commercial or residential use or for use as a hotel.

It adds: “The most recent uses of the building were a nightclub (to the ground and basement level), a separate bar (to the rear ground floor level) and office space (to the first, second and third floors).”

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Bury Times: The former Royal Hotel, at 24 Silver Street, is home to Club Sixty SixThe former Royal Hotel, at 24 Silver Street, is home to Club Sixty Six (Image: Newsquest)

Hidden Bar, which opened in September 2020, had its licence revoked last year after “a consistent theme of underage drinking” was identified at the premises.

It was also linked to a Greater Manchester Police investigation after a man in his 40s was left with a "puncture wound" in a fight outside the premises.

The front of the Royal Hotel building is currently occupied by nightclub Club Sixty Six also had its license revoked “with immediate effect” after a 17-year-old girl was raped after leaving the premises.

Greater Manchester Police also say security staff had allowed customers to enter the premises beyond is designated operating hours and that management had failed to hand over CCTV footage to police in a timely manner.

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Bury Times: Hidden Bar, which closed last year, occupied a premises at the rear of the buildingHidden Bar, which closed last year, occupied a premises at the rear of the building (Image: Newsquest)

At a hearing in March Bury district licensing officer, PC Peter Eccleston said there have been nine or 10 crimes attributed to the club since it opened in summer 2022.

The potential lease of the building is being facilitated by agent Amco Commercial. 

On its advert on Rightmove, Amco describes the former Royal Hotel as “one of the most attractive, well-known and respected buildings in Bury’s history.” It is up for lease for £5,000 a month. 

It adds: “The property has everything required to run a successful restaurant nightclub, including a fully functioning bar, commercial kitchen, dancefloor, CCTV, designer lighting, sound systems etc. Equipment is available to purchase from the current proprietor."

It is not clear whether Club Sixty Six will remain in the building following a change of ownership or leasehold, however, a spokesperson for the club said the business remains in operation pending an appeal of its licence removal.

Club Sixty Six's appeal against the removal of its licence is ongoing. The next hearing dates have been set at Wigan and Leigh Magistrates' Court for September 16 and 17, 2024.