A former Conservative club could undergo a dramatic transformation, if plans to turn it into an Islamic education and prayer centre are approved.

The West Watford Conservative Club, in Harwoods Road, could see its snooker hall transformed into a prayer room and its dance floor converted into a classroom if a new planning application is approved by Watford Borough Council.

Dawat-E-Islami, a Pakistan-based international non-political organisation dedicated to promoting Islamic beliefs, has filed a change of use application with the council, which, if approved, would see the building transformed into an Islamic community centre.

Khalid Mirza, spokesman for the Dawat-E-Islami in the UK, said the building could be re-opened to the pubic as early as this year.

He explained: “There is a demand for this in the local community. There are two mosques in the town but there is a big distance between them. There is a demand for something closer to this area.”

He added, however, that there were currently no plans to turn the building into a Mosque or a school. Lessons, he explained, would take place out of normal school hours.

Mr Mirza, speaking from Bolton, added: “As an organisation we are open to everybody, anybody can come in and see what’s going. We try to get people to live their lives in accordance with the law of the land – to live the way Allah would have lived his life.

Negotiations to purchase the building, which is no longer affiliated to the Conservative party, are continuing.

Watford Borough Council will now begin a consultation with neighbouring residents and will rule on the application in the coming weeks.