A HISTORIC corn mill is to be demolished despite attempts to save it.

This week ward councillor Chris Townsley spoke of his bitter disappointment that the government allowed demolition of the 18th century Horsforth mill, one of the town’s oldest buildings.

The Grade II listed building, said to be of prime importance in the history of Horsforth, had been allowed to fall into disrepair after it was listed in the 1980s when it was a scrap metal storage site.

Despite councillors fighting for its restoration, or partial retention, in the proposed plans for a new office block, a decision has been made by the secretary of state’s department to allow the full demolition of the once-important site.

Cllr Townsley said: “As both president of Horsforth Historical Society and as a Horsforth ward city councillor, all I can say is that it is a sad day which sees another part of Horsforth’s wonderful heritage disappear.

“We have asked the developers to at least recognise the mill by naming the office block after it and that some kind of story board is erected to show visitors the early history of a vital part of Woodside’s industry.”

The mill, built on the site of a much earlier building, fell into such a bad state of repair that it was placed on the Leeds Civic Trust’s Heritage at Risk register. The Trust described it as a “classic example of catastrophic heritage neglect”.

The trust added “What had been an 18th century corn mill, subsequently used as a store and more recently home to Dickinson’s Auto Spares, has now been reduced to a few walls, small areas of stone slate roof and a collection of crates filled with marked stones. All contained within a flimsy fence and rotting awnings. This dereliction is situated in the middle of a residential estate comprising several high and low-rise blocks of flats.”