With its dark rooms, cobwebbed walls and creaking floors, the former magistrates Court in Otley is not really much to look at.

But the old Victorian building is about to undergo a transformation costing more than £500,000 to turn it into a state-of-the-art community and arts centre, which will benefit not only Wharfedale, but people from all over West Yorkshire.

Money for the project has come from grants from the Market Towns Initiative, the regional arts lottery and the lottery, but also from fundraising in the region.

Enough money has been raised to start work on refurbishing the building early next year, which will mark the beginning of a 12 month building and fitting-out programme.

The centre looks set to be a haven for people interested in new media and the arts, whether professionally or just as a keen amateur.

It will also act as a community centre, the ideal place for children's and youth groups and also as a meeting place and office space.

Among the activities will be pottery, arts and crafts, dancing, film making and Information Technology work.

And the new facilities will also be top notch - a crche, bar, meeting rooms and outdoor area to name just a few.

Jessica Penrose, from The Otley Courthouse Project, which is running the project, said that the new centre would have an appeal far wider than just Otley.

She said: "Although it is based in Otley, we hope people will come from all over Wharfedale, including Ilkley, Burley, Pool, but hopefully we will see artists come from as far away as Leeds and Bradford to use the centre.

"The buildings are not in a great condition inside and there is a lot of work to be done, but there is so much potential and the area will be quite inspirational."

As well as facilities, the courthouse will host a range of workshops, regular art sessions, meetings, rehearsals and professional performances.

It will offer a wide range of training and confidence building activities giving disaffected young people, people recovering from mental illness, women returners and people who have experienced redundancy, the opportunity to begin to find their way back into education and the workplace.

Local training providers will be linked to training in using the arts with community groups, music technology, voluntary sector development, multimedia and creative IT, including accredited courses.

But the road to this massive new venture for the town has not been a quick and simple one.

The courthouse has not been in regular use since March 1997, but when the venue was used for the town's Midsummer Madness events in 1997 and 1998, it sparked ideas to convert the courthouse into an arts centre.

In 2001, residents were asked for their ideas of what they would want to see in the new, revamped courthouse.

When permission was granted to convert the buildings - including the attached cells, probation office and Inspector's house - the Courthouse Project was set up to tackle the daunting task of raising £500,000 for the first phase of the project.

Just over a year later, and the group is doing well with funding the project.

Courthouse Project chairman David Robson said: "It's a unique idea, we don't know of another project like it.

"In one building we'll be bringing together a range of opportunities for local people with the Citizens Advice Bureau, access to counselling, information and training.

"There will be space for local organisations to meet, hold events and rehearse or even build their carnival float in a room set aside for messy activities.

"We will have somewhere for people, young and old, to try their hand at producing computer games, videos, websites and sound recordings.

"Playgroups can find materials and off cuts from local firms and there will be an equipment bank so community groups can borrow a lap top computer, a set of exhibition boards, or a video camera and it'll be a place to see a film, catch a young stand up comedian, bring your kids to a children's show or enjoy an evening with local performers."

At the start of 2002 the plans for the transformation went on show to the public.

Otley Citizens Advice Bureau will continue to be houses in the courthouse - and is set to expand further to make it's service more effective.

But a more unusual feature of the courthouse is the four cells which have remained unchanged over the years.

The cells are all decked out with small, white tiles, barred windows and the original cell doors with hatches for food to be passed to prisoners.

Part of the first phase of the project will be to restore one of the cells to its former glory.

It will also involve transforming the main courthouse into the 150-seat performance space, a new entrance foyer, lift to the first floor and the revamped Citizens Advice Bureau.

Ms Penrose said: "We might even give people the chance to spend a night in the cell if they dare - but that is just an idea we are toying with at the moment."

Members of the project are even going so far as asking for members of the public who were once 'up before the beak' to contact them.

They are looking for anyone who once appeared in the docks to get in touch and perhaps share memories of spending time in the cells.

Carrying on the police theme, the courthouse provides the location of Aidensfield Police Station in the popular Yorkshire Television programme Heartbeat.

But project members are hoping that the courthouse will become well known in its own right as a community and arts centre.

But as work gets under way, organisers from the Courthouse Project are looking forward to the day when the building will be open.

When the courthouse opens, staff and volunteers will be needed to make the project a success.

Mr Robson said: "This will be a community effort, and although a lot of work has been done, we will need people to help us when the time comes to make the new centre the huge success it deserves to be."

l The Courthouse Project team are holding a Christmas stall in the Buttercross in Otley market place this Saturday between 10am and 2pm where baking, crafts and bottles will be on offer.

All the funds raised will go towards to the project.