CALLS have been made for the owners of an ‘eyesore’ former religious building in Barnoldswick to clarify its future.

The Gospel Mission Hall, in Valley Gardens, has been empty for a number of years and has fallen into a state of disrepair.

Its owners have secured the building, which is subject to a covenant meaning its must remain for religious use, but residents said it has in the past been used as a meeting place for youths to congregate in the town and has become a magnet for anti-social behaviour.

Last year, members of the West Craven Committee agreed to recommence enforcement action forcing the owners to improve the building’s appearance.

Enforcement action with the previous owners lapsed with the change of ownership, and an update on the matter was given at the committee earlier this month.

Cllr David Whipp, who represents Barnoldswick's Craven ward, has called for action to find an ‘acceptable’ use for the building and the land.

He said: “The building has continued to drop to bits.

“The new owners have secured it but it really does look a mess and a real eyesore.

“There has been a problem with young people using it as a meeting place in the past.

“It’s been over a year now since we had a meeting with the owners to encourage them to do something but we’ve not met with them since.”

The Gospel Mission Church left the building because of its poor condition in 2005, and spent eight years at the town’s civic hall, before moving to a renovated former potato house in 2013.

Last year, the Gospel Mission Hall’s current owners had planned to use the building as a mosque and approached Pendle Council with their intentions, but Cllr David Whipp said that this hasn’t ‘worked out’.

Cllr Whipp added: “There was no suitable parking for the development and the building wasn’t big enough for what they wanted to do.

“The covenant on the building limiting its use to a church or Gospel Mission is also a problem, as ideally, I would like to see the land and building given to the local council in which it used to belong to.

“We need to find an acceptable use for the building and land, as at the moment it’s a difficult to see a way forward for it.”

The owners of the building are unknown, but the property is for sale by the Lancashire Property Auction with starting bid prices of £35,000.