A planning application to transform Otley’s historic civic centre into “high-end” apartments has been rejected by the council.
Otley Civic Centre was constructed in the 19th century and previously hosted Otley Town Council and the Otley Museum before closing its doors in 2010. Since then it came into the ownership of Leeds City Council but has sat abandoned and decaying for years.
The building is Grade II listed by Historic England, this is the lowest level of listing available but still means the building is considered to be of “special interest”.
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A developer, Otley Civic Centre Limited, applied to transform the building into apartments. Their application said: “This proposal would serve to improve the local economy ensure the listed building is used and renovated before it goes into such disrepair that the viability of restoration is not possible.“
The architects also said they did not plan to change the outside of the building as part of a “scheme which not only benefits the building, the local community but also Otley as a whole”.
Leeds City Council disagreed.
According to the Council, the application would “adversely affect the special character of the building and the Otley Conservation Area”. They also said the scheme showed “no regard for the heritage significance of the historic interior of the listed building in terms of its surviving historic plan layout, room proportions and character, architectural detailing, fixtures and fittings etc.”
They also said there was not enough information on a number of different issues such as electrical strategy, flues and vents. This meant Leeds City Council denied the application.
“Overall the proposal would cause the loss of a significant amount of historical internal fabric, and the loss of the historic plan form,” they said.
Currently, this means the building will remain empty until a new buyer can be found with a plan for the site. For the people of Otley, it means one of the many historic buildings in the town will remain as it is, for better or for worse.
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