THE owners of Alton's former United Reformed Church are to be ordered to undertake repairs thought to be in excess of £100,000 or face a compulsory purchase order.

Members of East Hampshire District Council's cabinet agreed, during their June 5 meeting, to take action following a conservation report outlining the now-critical state of the historic landmark.

Angered by such "deliberate neglect" of the area's heritage, the council is to serve a Repairs Notice outlining work, much of which should have been undertaken under a Section 106 Agreement, served more than five years earlier.

Originally built as an Independent Chapel in 1834-35, in the Gothic ecclesiastical style, the structure is one of Alton's more prominent historic buildings.

Located at the junction of Orchard Lane and Normandy Street, it was closed in October, 1994, and subsequently sold by the church to Paul Scott building contractors of Surrey. They sold the accompanying site for the construction of Knox Terrace and then put the building up for auction.

It was bought in May 1997 by the current owners, PMC Construction and Development Services Limited of Portsmouth, with the Section 106 Agreement attached.

According to the report, since 1995 little work has been carried out to preserve the fabric of this Grade II Listed Building, other than the re-roofing of the main section some four years ago.

"Despite assurances from the current owners that works would be immediately put in hand, there has been little action," says EHDC principal conservation officer, Andrew Dick.

Mr Dick added that, after failed attempts to convert the former church into a 153-seat theatre, and more recently into three town houses - an application currently the subject of a government appeal, "the council is now determined to break the deadlock in order to ensure the preservation of the building."

East Hampshire's north planning committee is opposed to the proposed residential conversion which, it is felt, would "detract from the integrity and character of the statutory listed building". Furthermore, it wants to retain the building in community based use.

Its representation to the government inspector highlights the state of the building and the need for a Repairs Order.

According to Mr Dick, PMC Construction views its decision to apply for residential conversion as a way of breaking the deadlock with Holybourne Theatre - the company behind the original proposal to convert the church into a theatre.

If it wins the appeal, the development company stands to make a considerable profit from a proposal which, Mr Dick points out, "will destroy the building but secure its future."

If it should lose, and if the Repairs Order is not adhered to within two months of receipt, the council will apply to the Department of Culture, Media and Sport for a Compulsory Purchase Order and would expect to pay minimum compensation due to the neglected state of the building.

Because the value of the property is currently around one tenth of the estimated cost of compulsory repair work, it is hoped the owners may decide to negotiate an agreement with the district council beforehand to avoid additional costs involved in compulsory purchase.

However, this seems likely to hang on the result of the appeal - expected in around six weeks' time.

In the meantime, according to Mr Dick, the old church building continues to deteriorate with crumbling brickwork and broken widows adding to its dilapidated appearance.

According to council leader, Elizabeth Cartwright, the situation can no longer be tolerated: "Since the church closed eight years ago, the building has been left to decay.

"It is now a major eyesore in the street scene and its condition seriously detracts from the council's aim of regenerating Normandy Street through the Alton Conservation Area Partnership Scheme.

"The district council will not stand by and see the deliberate neglect of the architectural heritage of East Hampshire."