A RETHINK of plans to relocate Ledbury Library into a portable building on St Katherine's car park is on the cards, just days after the move was announced.

Colwall councillor Roy Stockton, the cabinet member whose responsibilities include libraries, said that the authority could set up the library at the Master's House in St Katherine's, instead of paying for a temporary building taking up valuable car parking space.

Coun Stockton, whose agreement is needed for any change, said the closure of the current library at the Elizabeth Barrett-Browning Institute would go ahead as planned, with an alternative in place as early as the new year.

The library is moving out because the building fails new disabled access laws and has already been picketed by disabled protesters.

"The possibility that the library will be in the St Katherine's building is at least as strong as using a portable building," said Coun Stockton.

The move to the Master's House would, in theory, be a precursor to longer term plans to develop the listed building as a permanent library, one-stop shop for council services and Tourist Information Centre. However, Coun Stockton said: "The timescale for getting the grants is several years, it could be at least 2007."

Instead, he suggested using the £40,000 earmarked for a mobile building to bring part of the Master's House into operation as a temporary library. That would save car parking spaces being lost in St Katherine's, one of the elements causing disquiet. Traders have already raised a 70-name petition saying the loss of parking would damage the town.

The trustees of the Elizabeth Barrett Browning Institute say they would have been willing to discuss changes to the building to meet the new laws.

Council spokesman John Burnett said the £40,000 the authority had to solve the disabled access problem was not enough to improve the situation within the existing, rented building.