Members of a club burned out by rioters were celebrating today after councillors agreed to sell them land to build new premises.

But Manningham Labour Club is racing against time to use its £647,000 insurance settlement - its cover for loss of business runs out in 20 months time.

And the time taken will depend on Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott's office which will have to agree to a change of use of the site occupying part of Bullroyd allotments in Bullroyd Lane, Bradford.

The process will involve consulting allotment holders and garden societies, and even a straightforward case usually takes three to four months.

Club officials have searched for 17 months to find suitable land in the Manningham area. They were refused future insurance cover if they rebuilt on the original site in Whetley Lane.

Meanwhile, hundreds of members have been forced to go to four other social clubs, missing their own activities and friends.

But it was confirmed today health chiefs are interested in buying the Whetley Lane land for a pioneering health village to serve the deprived area.

The NHS LIFT Company also wants to purchase Council-owned land beside the former club site for the health village, which would provide services from eight doctors, nurses, heath visitors and a pharmacy. Consulting rooms could be used for a range of community services.

The Council will now remove a covenant imposed when it sold the land to the club in 1974 - providing all sales go through.

The authority's land would not go on the open market because of the urgent insurance situation facing the club.

Manningham Social Club was destroyed in the riots in July last year. Terrified people were trapped inside when the building was set alight. They had to be rescued by firefighters.

The club has been in existence for a century and has 900 members.

Today club officials said there was a 36- month indemnity period for business interruption cover and they were under pressure from the insurers to confirm whether the club would be reinstated.

The Council has agreed the sale of the allotment land subject to the Government changing its designation and satisfactory terms being reached.

Club secretary Terry Mahoney said he was delighted to have found a site and hoped the development could be done quickly.

"We believe we can meet the timescale now and will be talking to our insurers about the situation. This has taken a lot of very hard work by everyone. In fact I thought this day would never come."