THE Assize Courts, one of Devizes' most prominent buildings, could go on deteriorating for many more years, it was revealed this week.

Kennet District Council has admitted that the quest for public funding from heritage sources has gone as far as it can, and there is little hope the grade II*-listed Georgian building will be refurbished in the near future.

The owners, Gatewell, an offshore company based in the Channel Islands, was granted planning permission a year ago to convert the building to 20 luxury flats but no work has yet been carried out.

Nadeem Saddiqi, spokesman for agents Jee Estates, said: "It is enormously expensive to undertake work like this and the owners have been negotiating with English Heritage on grant aid, so far without success."

An English Heritage spokeswoman confirmed that discussions have been taking place with Gatewell but did not hold out much hope of a successful outcome.

She said: "Every year the grant aid that we can offer projects like this gets tighter and tighter. We cannot say at the moment whether we can help financially but at the moment it is not looking hopeful."

The Assize Courts building, dates from 1835 and boasts one of the finest neo-classical frontages in Wiltshire.

It was sold off by the county council in 1987. An initial planning application to convert the building to flats was vetoed by English Heritage.

By the time an alternative application for offices was approved by Kennet, the property bubble had burst and left the developers, Davis and Dyke, with an unusable, unsaleable building on their hands.

As the property recession continued, so did the deterioration of the building and by 1999 Kennet District Council officers were deeply concerned. So was English Heritage, which put it on its listed buildings at risk register with the top rating of four hard hats.

Kennet has offered grant aid of £25,000 towards the repair and conversion of the building.

Kennet's new council leader, Coun Chris Humphries, has been following the sad tale of the Assize Courts

"Following pressure by the council, the roof of the former Assize Courts was repaired by the owners about three years ago," he said.

"In the meantime, council officers have worked with the owners to obtain various consents for conversion of the building to a new use.

"The officers have also acted as brokers in obtaining some grant aid for the repairs from English Heritage.

"Even with the assistance of public funds towards the repairs, the conversion project is of marginal viability.

"The owners of the building are understood to be considering a start but as yet there has been no progress on the site.

"The quest for public funding from heritage sources has gone as far as it can. In the event that grant money is eventually allocated elsewhere due to lack of progress, the council will need to review the options."

Among those options is the possibility of including the Assize Courts in the development brief being prepared for Kennet, taking in the Wharfside area and the Devizes Hospital site.

A previous development brief looked at redeveloping the Wharf and the North Gate in tandem and agreement had been reached between Kennet and Heritage Property Services.

But Heritage dropped out after the county council insisted the Wharf be considered as a site for the proposed new county records office.

But a Wharfside scheme, involving an area from Town Bridge on Northgate Street up to and including the hospital site, would be much more complex than the North Gate plan.

Unlike the North Gate, where Kennet owns most of the land, the Wharfside area is under the ownership of at least 12 parties.

Matters are further complicated by the Regional Development Agency which has come up with £80,000 to fund a master plan for Devizes, taking in development land, car parking and other facilities in the town centre.

It could take years until a final solution is found to the Assize Courts problem and, in the meantime, Kennet officers will closely monitor its physical condition.

All is not lost, however. Another historic building in the town, Long's Buildings on New Park Street, was in a state of collapse before a multi-million-pound project, funded by the Housing Corporation, led to its restoration as affordable housing in the mid-1990s.

The hope is that dereliction does not catch up with the Assize Courts before renovation does.

Countdown to a derelict old eyesore

1835: Assize Courts built. Designed by Thomas Wyatt and money raised by public subscription.

1987: Wiltshire County Council closes courts. Building is sold the following year to Davis and Dyke.

1989: Planning permission granted for ten flats, the first of many plans for the building which also include offices (1989), two retail units (1993), 20 flats (1995) and public house, restaurant and gym (1997).

1991: Part of rear wall and all the cells demolished and most of the fittings removed.

1994: Building fails to find a buyer at auction.

1997: Building is eventually purchased by Channel Islands-based Gatewell.

1999: Kennet District Council serves urgent works notice on Gatewell which, at the last minute, employ a contractor to carry out extensive repairs to the roof.

2000: Kennet issues another urgent works notice, dealing with security, rainproofing and eradication of dry rot.

2002: Kennet offers grant of £25,000 towards the refurbishment of the building. Planners also give the green light for a conversion of the building to 20 luxury flats.

2003: The Assize Courts remain derelict and forlorn as the owners and English Heritage fail to reach agreement on grant aid for the project.