Immersive theatre and live music could soon come to the old Allders building in Croydon, which stood empty for three years.

A licensing application to use the old department store in North End has been lodged with the council.

The application was submitted by Aerodrome Croydon Ltd which was set up in January and is registered to a co-working space in East London.

It proposes running from September 1, 2022 for a year.

In July 2019, workers at Croydon Village Outlet turned up to find the locks changed as the council took ownership of the building.

The outlet moved into the iconic building when Allders shut down in 2013. The Allders original store was established in 1862 in Croydon.

The chain went into administration in 2005, but the Croydon store remained open for seven more years, closing its doors in September 2012.

Croydon Council took possession of the site in 2019 as part of plans to build a new Westfield shopping centre.

But the redevelopment of the town centre has been under review for more than three years and planning permission for the original scheme expired in 2021.

In May, Scott Parsons, the UK chief operating officer of Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield, reiterated the position that any development in Croydon would not be focussed purely on shopping and include offices and flats.

He said the company was still committed to the borough.

The licensing application asks Croydon Council for permission for live or recorded music from 11am-midnight Monday to Thursday and until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

It also applies for a licence to sell food and drinks from 12pm-11pm from Monday-Thursday and on Sundays and until 2am on Fridays and Saturdays.

Aerodrome also intends to host plays and dance performances. In a description, it adds: “Shows may include an element of immersive theatre.”

No planning applications have been submitted to make changes to the building.

The application comes a year after Croydon Council laid out plans for the future of the town centre while it waits redevelopment.

In this it revealed plans from the Croydon Partnership to repurpose part of the former Allders building.

At the time it said this could possibly be for an educational organisation.