An ageing former Leeds City Council youth and community centre in Horsforth has been sold for £187,000 at auction.

The Stanhope Drive Youth Centre, on Salmon Crescent, was one of 145 lots which went under the hammer at a two-day sale in Leeds and Manchester, held by property auctioneers Eddisons.

The 0.39-acre site, occupied by the single-story prefabricated building, sold with outline planning permission for residential development, granted by Leeds City Council in December.

The successful planning application was submitted by the council itself.

The buyer of the site has yet to be revealed.

Youth services once based at the Stanhope Drive centre have since been relocated to the refurbished former Horsforth library building, and the money from the sale of the plot will go towards paying for the refurbishment work.

A council spokesman said: “Contracts were exchanged at auction for the sale of the Stanhope Drive Youth Centre for £187,000.

“The sale is due to be completed next month. The money is ring-fenced to part-fund the refurbishment of the former Horsforth library building, which is now used by the youth service which was previously based at the Stanhope Drive centre.”

Restrictions on development include a covenant permitting the building of four houses provided certain areas of the site are used as garden land only.

The conditions were designed to limit the density of any new development and reduce visual impact on surrounding houses and the nearby war memorial.

The eventual developer is required to plant and maintain a three-metre wide landscaping strip.

Conditions were added to the planning consent to limit density of the development.

Ward councillor Chris Townsley said youth services were already up and running at the former library building on Town Street.

Horsforth councillors campaigned to have the old library building retained for public use when Horsforth’s new library was built in 2006.