PLANS to turn a former school building in Bradford, recently described as one of the most "at risk" Victorian buildings in the UK, into a restaurant have been revealed.

The Grade II* Gothic style Feversham Street First School off Leeds Road has been empty for years, and is in such a poor state it was named in the Victorian Society's 2017 Top Ten Endangered Buildings list.

A planning application has this week been submitted to Bradford Council by a Mr Usman to turn the long empty building into a restaurant and function rooms.

The application says: "Feversham Street First School has been neglected for 24 years and has become a target for vandalism. There have been numerous reports of stones being thrown, windows being smashed and other damages occurring to this historic building. Many break-in attempts have been made over the years as the building is neglected, battered and abandoned.

"The roof slates have been stolen, parts of the features of the building have been removed and the building has been a regular target for arson. Some youths have also been on the roof and attempted to climb around the building.

"Residents in the local area have also put forward concerns that there has been activity of drug dealing on the site and suspicious behaviour around it.

"The reasons for regenerating Feversham Street First School are many. The benefits range from the intangible benefits of heritage to society and cultural identity to measurable economic and environmental advantages."

The plans show one wing of the 1,044 square metre building would be turned into a restaurant, and the other side would be split into a function hall and three function rooms.

The application says it would create five full time and two part time jobs, and open from 11am to midnight.

Built by Lockwood and Mawson in 1873, it closed as a school 120 years later in 1993. Since then it has been used as retail, but has stood empty for many years.

Last year's listing referred to the school saying: "Unbelievably there have been no substantial planning applications for the building within the last two decades.

"Surely a new, permanent use for this fine building could be quite easily found?”

On the new plans Alan Hall, vice chair of Bradford Civic Society, said: "Feversham Street School is important historically because it was one of the first Board schools set up by Bradford School Board, not long after the Elementary Education Act of 1870, the brainchild, of course, of W E Forster, Liberal MP for Bradford at the time, and for whom Forster Square and Forster Square Station are named.

"Bradford Civic Society supports any scheme to refurbish the building, rather than see it demolished, or just left empty and decaying, provided that any conversion is appropriate and tasteful. Some acknowledgement that the building is of historic importance, perhaps a blue plaque, should also be incorporated into the refurbishment."

A decision on the planning application is expected in November.