ANYONE interested in taking on a vacant and dilapidated building in Bingley is being given six months to put a business case forward.

The Bradford Council-owned Priesthorpe Annexe in Mornington Road, Bingley, was gifted to the town for educational use by local benefactors in the 19th century and had been used as the town’s Science Arts and Technical School.

But the building has been empty since 2002 and is now in a serious state of disrepair, meaning the Council's Regulatory and Appeals Committee, sitting as trustees of the building, met today to decide whether to sell it and spend the money on other educational work in the town.

The meeting heard one businesswoman had already expressed an interest in taking on the building.

Gemma Price, who lives near the site and runs Idle-based Superfood Market, wrote to the committee saying she would be willing to relocate there if it meant the building would be saved.

Trustees heard that Bingley Town Council wanted the building to be treated as an asset of community value, giving community organisations time to work up bids.

Town Council chairman Ros Dawson spoke at the meeting, saying while the Town Council was not looking to take on the ownership of the building itself, it would like to see it transferred to some kind of not-for-profit or community organisation.

But ward councillor John Pennington (Con, Bingley) said the building should be put on the open market, adding: "My main aim is to try to save the building."

He raised concerns that a six-month window would put the building - which has no roof - through another harsh winter.

The trustees heard that while the building did not fit the criteria for an asset of community value, because it had been vacant for so long, they could treat it as if it was one by giving people a six-month window to put bids together.

They opted to do this, and will meet to weigh up the various bids in March.

The trustees will also ask Bradford Council to compensate the trust for the building’s loss of value because of its lack of upkeep.

After the meeting, Cllr Dawson said: "This is a positive and welcome step and great that the Town Council’s views and efforts to find a way forward for the former Technical School have been incorporated into the committee’s recommendations.

"Hopefully now this will lead to a plan for this building that enables it to be transformed from an eyesore and used productively to benefit our town.”