OTLEY Civic Centre's future is set to be sealed at a meeting in Leeds next week.

Leeds City Council, which owns the Grade II Listed building, announced in the summer that it believed selling the Civic for conversion to flats would secure its long-term survival.

Now the authority's Executive Board is preparing to consider a recommendation for the property to be 'disposed of for conversion to residential apartments'.

The matter should be decided - bringing to an end a debate that has raged since the Civic's closure in 2010 - when the board meets on Wednesday, November 21.

The report concludes: "As the city council has no operational use for the property then conversion to residential apartments is a use that will guarantee its long term use and preservation.

"Uses proposed by other parties do not come with this level of assurance.

"It is recommended that the property be sold on the terms reported in the accompanying, confidential appendix."

Although further details remain secret for now the council confirmed in June that it was in talks with Mandale Homes about a scheme to create 21 apartments - seven of which would be affordable.

The recommendation, meanwhile, also contains some promising news for Otley Courthouse and its expansion hopes.

The board is being advised to 'agree that part of the council’s North Parade depot be reserved for the expansion of the Courthouse, and authorise the Director of City Development to enter into negotiations...to agree appropriate terms'.

Otley's ward councillors (all Lib Dem, Otley & Yeadon), however, say that provides scant comfort.

Cllr Ryk Downes said: "The Civic was a much loved community building.

"Sadly, Leeds let it fall into disrepair and for years have refused to invest in bringing it back into community use - now their solution is to sell it for housing."

Cllr Colin Campbell said: "If it has to happen we have consistently said that all the money received from the sale of this valuable local asset should come back to Otley.

"The council suggest they are helping the Courthouse to provide a replacement building but we have no guarantees of this.

"We fully support the idea that the Courthouse should be encouraged to expand and will do anything we can to help, but apart from a vague offer of land there is no tangible help.

"Sadly, none of the money Leeds gains from this sale will come back as an investment in any project the Courthouse brings forward."

Cllr Sandy Lay added: "Leeds are currently selling, or have sold, a number of local assets.

"These include the former council offices on Boroughgate, Ashfield Works, housing land to the east of Otley and the former North Parade depot.

"They stand to gain several million pounds stripping Otley of these assets, while all they offer in return is a small area of land which they expect the Courthouse to fund and develop."