THE chairman of a Bradford charity has spoke of his desire to bring an eyesore site in Allerton back to life.

The former Allerton Library, on the corner of Allerton Road and Greenbank Road, has been empty for 13 years, and is currently in a decrepit state.

Trustees of the building met yesterday to discuss its future, and heard from Josiah Sulc, manager at Kids Klub Allerton, who has big plans for its future.

The building was donated to Bradford Council by former councillor Angus Hardy Rhodes in 1916. Originally two cottages, the building was converted into a library and reading room, operated until 2005.

It is held in a trust, of which Bradford Council are sole trustees, with the condition that the building only be used for educational use.

Councillors sat as trustees yesterday to discuss the building’s future, and Mr Sulc spoke about the charity, recently re-branded as Rooted In, and its ambitions for the building.

They had originally asked for the building to be given to the charity through a “community asset transfer” - a process by which a community group can take over the running of a Council building.

However, Council lawyers pointed out that this would not technically be possible, as the building belonged to the Trust, and was not a Council building.

Mr Sulc said: “As a charity we help everyone in the area, from pre school children to to people looking to get back into work.

“We don’t have the capital at this moment in time to improve this site, but we have the ability and a track record of generating income. I feel this building is really important. It is a big frustration - ‘Welcome to Allerton’ and you see this derelict building that has been systematically neglected since the 1980s.

“When the people of Allerton look at it they must think, ‘This is all we’re going to get.’ We want to bring this back into use. If we can renovate it we will, if not we will replace the building with something suitable.”

He said one possible use of the building could be a community bakery, where residents could learn vital skills.

Councillor Richard Dunbar (Lab, Thornton/Allerton) said: “It is an eyesore building in a prominent spot in the community - let’s do something about it.”

The trustees asked the legal team to hold talks with the charity, and to come back with suggestions for the building’s future in the coming months.