A bid to safeguard one of Baildon’s architectural gems by turning it into a community hub is set to become a reality.

Louise Pickles has been campaigning for two years to see the Towngate Rooms, the former Liberal Club, in Northgate, become a food hall and centre for arts and crafts.

Mrs Pickles, 40, said legal negotiations, change of use discussions and the planning process had now been completed with Bradford Council to enable her to open a café and delicatessen there.

The 96-year-old building has been empty for about four years after it was deemed to be surplus to Council requirements.

The authority originally had proposed to sell it off for redevelopment, potentially for office or residential space.

But following a 800-signature petition and support from ward councillors and Shipley MP Philip Davies, Mrs Pickles, of Westfield Terrace, Baildon, now has the opportunity to bring the building back to being a focal point for the village.

She had been running the ambitious project with business partner Emma Taylor, but is now set to take it on by herself.

She said: “All the way along with this I have been really passionate about bringing some diversity back to the village because there’s nothing else like this in Baildon.

“I just think it’s about time it needs some regeneration and hopefully this will enable a change in Baildon.

“The building is in quite a poor state of repair so everything needs doing inside and I think once it’s finished it will become a focal point of the village again.

“At least this way if it is a shop and delicatessen, people can still come in and use it, but if it had gone to offices it wouldn’t really have been very accessible to the public.”

Mrs Pickles, a nurse, plans to sell mainly locally-produced foods and even use the space to display work by local artists.

Councillor John Cole (Lib Dem, Baildon) said: “I am delighted that this long process has now reached a positive outcome.

“I am sure that many residents in Baildon will join me in wishing Louise and her venture every success.

“I think that it is right in principle to maintain a balance within Baildon and we do need more commercial activity and not so many apartments.

“This outcome fits the bill.”