Otley Civic Centre could be gutted and fitted with a new, modern interior.

The multi-million pound refit of the Victorian building would allow for its listed exterior to be retained and is one of the proposals being considered.

A more basic renovation and the provision of a whole new centre on a different site are also being assessed.

Councillor Colin Campbell (Lib Dem, Otley and Yeadon) said Leeds City Council had been asked to consider the possibility and cost of the four different options for the future of the centre.

The options are:-

1 To have the city council take over its running;

2 To refurbish it, including necessary repairs and redecoration;

3 To replace its interior with modern, more accessible rooms;

4 To provide a new, purpose built centre on a different site.

Coun Campbell said the costings had been asked for at a meeting between the three ward councillors and the city council's director of asset management, responsible for the civic centre.

He added the meeting had been arranged in an attempt to sort out the apparent deadlock following the town council's notice that it intended to quit the dilapidated building.

A campaign group has also been set up in the town including Labour members of the council in an attempt to stop the building from being sold off and possibly redeveloped for housing.

Coun Campbell said it was important that the future of the centre was sorted out now and not left to allow the building fall into further disrepair.

A report on the condition of the building in 2000 revealed a catalogue of problems including major work needed to the roof and electrical systems.

Coun Campbell said vital repairs, including a new roof and re-wiring, had been estimated at more than £1 million with the cost of redecoration on top of that.

"We are also asking the council to look at reconfiguring the inside of the building. We would keep the outside, but move the rooms around inside, it would be an interior rebuild to cope with modern needs."

Coun Campbell added that interior remodelling would likely be hugely expensive and possibly running into many millions of pounds.

"We'd also like the council to be more serious about the cost of a replacement and not just the cost, but how its running would be funded."

Coun Campbell said one of the subjects that had not been discussed was who should be responsible for the running of the centre.

"The centre belongs to the city council and it is up to them to run it, which is not to say that in the future there might not be an agreement and the possibility of a group like the Friends of Otley Civic Centre."

Earlier this month town councillor Nigel Francis wrote to the two joint leaders of Leeds City Council also asking for surveys to be undertaken on the centre. He suggested that a referendum should be held to find out what people in the town wanted for the centre.

Coun Campbell added that early talks had also taken place with the Conservative leader of the city council Andrew Carter who will have responsibility for civic centres.

But he warned that in order for the right conclusion to happen, it would take time.

"This is something that we really want to get right and I'm quite happy to wait a couple of months to get it right. But we are committed to doing something."

Councillor Mark Harris, leader of Leeds City Council, said: "Immediately after the election we set to work with the three Otley ward councillors to look at what should be done about the civic centre. It's a very complicated issue and there isn't any obvious answer.

"However, we are working closely with the Development Department and full consultation would of course taken place before any decisions are made."

Coun John Eveleigh, leader of the Labour Group on Otley Town Council, said the centre was very much a part of the town and should be saved at all costs.

"There is a strong feeling in the town that it would be much better to upgrade the building rather than going off into never, never land about the possibility of a new building."

Coun Eveleigh was convinced that the majority feeling in the town would be in favour of the centre being saved as a public building.

"A referendum is a possibility and I have no doubt if there was one it would be won by the people who want to retain the existing building."

He understood the council could withdraw its notice to quit the centre at any time, but feared there could be interest from potential developers if the future of the centre was left unsure for too long.

l A study into the condition of Otley Civic Centre in 2002 looking at what needed to be done to the building to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act estimated necessary work would cost just under £870,000.

The survey concluded that the electrics were antiquated and that any interior work would be pointless without the large scale repair of the roof.