Town councillors are calling for action to be taken to tidy up the crumbling former Assize Courts in Devizes.

The Grade II*-listed building, in Northgate Street, has been empty for more than 20 years as a number of private developers failed to bring forward schemes to convert the building into housing.

The latest planning permission was granted last May for owner Gatewell Limited, but no work has happened on the building since.

Meanwhile, the building is looking untidy due to weeds.

At a meeting of the town council’s community and civic resources committee last week, councillor Charles Winchcombe said: “Virtually everywhere I go, people say what a terrible state the building is in and how appalling it looks. It doesn’t look very good for visitors.”

Coun Sue Evans, who was town mayor when planning permission was granted to convert the building into 18 apartments and a community space, said: “We were excited that something was going to happen but it hasn’t.”

Coun Ray Parsons said he and others spent several hours tidying away weeds from the building a few years ago but town clerk Sarah Todhunter warned against this as the building was privately owned and to do so would be trespassing.

Coun Margaret Taylor thought it might be possible for Wiltshire Council to carry out work on the building and send the bill to the owners.

The committee agreed to write to Wiltshire Council to ask if it could do anything to tidy up the building.