Oakwood loos, close to the famous Oakwood clock, will go under the hammer at Leeds United FC on May 15 with a guide price of £25,000-plus.

The move follows four fruitless years of negotiation over the toilet block's future.

A group led by Dr Kim Knowles wanted to convert it into a Christian cafe and got permission for a change of use.

But she and her husband Peter finally pulled out of talks with the city council last December after years of frustration.
They planned to invest up to £170,000 but they founbd the council's lease terms unacceptable.

"They wanted to increase the rent very quickly," she said, "and that wasn't on. There has to be a pay-back for us. I don't think the council trusted our figures but we had spent a lot of time doing our sums and we were not diddling them.

"But we are still interested in the building and in doing a similar project there. There are plenty of other people with the same interests in Oakwood area."

Dr Kim, a former chemistry teacher at Queen Elizabeth Grammar School in Wakefield, proposed the cafe back in 2004. She said it would serve food and drink during the day and double up in the evening as a Christian outreach centre, offering courses and talks.

Logos would have been placed around the cafe and Thoughts for the Day might have appeared on menus.

Conversion of the block would have cost around £108,000 but planners also insisted the operators should provide a stone-built store for a waste bin. Use of the cafe frontage for tables and chairs would also add to the expense.

Roundhay councillor Matthew Lobley said: "Mr and Mrs Knowles would have given kids somewhere to hang out at night.

"The building requires significant investment to bring it up to scratch but I would be delighted if it could be used as a cafe or some other small business.

"The woirst option if there are no takers is that the council will have to find the money to take it down and landscape the area."