Bradford Council officers will assess the safety of a derelict old Haworth chapel following concerns raised by a Worth Valley ward councillor.

Rebecca Poulsen is worried about the structural condition of the former Primitive Methodist Chapel in Mill Hey.

However, the building’s current owner, who has been aware of the issue for two years, said effective steps have already been taken to address it.

Coun Poulsen fears part of the upper facade of the building – known as the pediment – appears to be leaning forwards. “If that drops off, heaven help anyone who is underneath,” she said.

She said planning permission had been given in 2011 to turn the old chapel into nine flats, but the development never started.

A Bradford Council spokesman said: “We cannot insist a developer starts work on a building even though he may have planning permission to do so.

“Now this matter has been brought to the attention of the council, it has been arranged for the council’s building control surveyors to assess the structural stability of the building, and to discuss with the owners any repair work that may be necessary.”

The property’s owner, who did not want to be named, said there were no immediate plans to begin converting the building into flats.

Commenting on Coun Poulsen’s safety concerns, he added: “We knew about this situation ourselves two years ago.

“We put in a steel framework, with girders running down the side walls of the building specifically for this purpose. This was done by a professional engineer.”

He said he met with representatives from the district council last week, and was due to meet them again in the near future to discuss whether anything further needed to be done.

Mill Hey resident Jens Hislop, who lives next to the former chapel, said he would like to see it brought back into use as soon as possible. “It is an eyesore – and it’s the first thing we see out of our bedroom windows each morning,” he said.

Local historian Steven Wood said the property was built in 1870, though it has not been used as a church since 1954.

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