Keighley’s Central Hall (pictured) has been held up as a shining example for community groups wanting to take over historic buildings.

English Heritage has produced a new national guide on community ownership of such buildings and now hopes other groups will learn lessons from the team that brought the town’s former chapel back into use.

The organisation’s guide will help people take over ownership and management of historic buildings, monuments and landscapes from local authorities. Central Hall, in Alice Street, Keighley, reopens next week as a community centre following a £2 million refurbishment.

The project was spearheaded by Keighley and Ilkley Voluntary and Community Action (KIVCA), which will be one of the groups based in the building. Bradford Council, which owns the hall, has signed a 99-year lease allowing KIVCA to manage it. Funding was provided by the Government and Bradford Council in 2009 through the pioneering Community Assets scheme, designed to hand control of public buildings to local groups.

English Heritage prepared its guide with organisations in the UK, providing tips on the process of transferring ownership of historic places. It can be downloaded from english-heritage.

org.uk/caring/get-involved/take-ownership/.