LEDBURY members of Herefordshire Council are pressing for a new town library to be among its priorities.

The existing library, in the Elizabeth Barrett Browning building on the corner of the Homend and Bye Street, does not come up to the standard required by new laws on disabled access.

Herefordshire Council is looking at the possibility of moving the library to the Master's House, the former doctor's surgery, in St Katherine's car park.

Coun Barry Ashton said: "The Ledbury members on Herefordshire Council are pressing the council about getting the programme for the Master's House included in the plans for a new town library.

"It's an obvious choice, providing its mediaeval origins allow it to be used as a library."

Consultants are undertaking a £37,000 study of the Master's House, a Grade II* listed building, to identify the different stages of its history and construction.

Coun Stockton said: "It's a case of finding out what we've got there. I would hope that we will have all the information we need for work to start in the financial year, 2004 to 2005."

Until the full historic importance of the Master's House is known, a full costing on the conversion work cannot be made.

I want to make it an urgent issue but we are looking at a two-storey library and it won't be a cheap job, that's for sure."

Under the incoming disabled access legislation, buildings used for public purposes must offer disabled access by October 2004 or every effort must have been made to adapt them.

Coun Roy Stockton, the council's spokesman for community and social development, said the use of the existing library would be allowed to go on for a while until an alternative was found.