GRANT funding could help secure a community future for Ledbury's old library, the Elizabeth Barrett Browning Institute, but Victorian regulations could mean it must retain an educational function of some kind.

One idea is to make it a centre for youth services.

The Institute, which has been looked after by the Elizabeth Barrett Browning Institute Trust since 1897, became surplus to requirements in the spring of 2015, when the library moved to the renovated Master's House on St Katherine's car park.

The former Ledbury town library, in the Elizabeth Barrett Browning Institute building, includes the imposing town centre clock tower but currently does not have disabled access, unlike the medieval Master's House, which underwent a £2.9m refurbishment.

Since then, the Institute has been used as a youth drop-in centre on Wednesday evenings; but apart from that it remains a substantial building in the town centre which stands empty.

Now the Ledbury Places registered charity is looking to take on the Institute and is in talks with Barrett Browning Institute Trust to this effect; but the future use of the building could be more restrictive than expected.

In a recent report to the town council, Ledbury Places representative, Cllr Rob Yeoman said: "The charity is intending to to take over the Barrett Browning Institute, and there is still work to be done to ensure that the constraints imposed by the Trust, from 1897: that the property be used as a library, reading room or for the advancement of learning, are maintained, and that the charity commissioners for the Trust and Ledbury Places are happy with the arrangements."

Cllr Yeoman, however, struck an optimistic note and added: "The use of the building is not as restrictive as it may initially appear."

Mary Cooper, who is both a trustee of the Barrett Browning Institute Trust and a director of Ledbury Places said the problem could be overcome if, as is planned, the Trust is formally dissolved and the building is handed to the care of Ledbury Places. This would mean the old regulations would not apply.

But she said there would still be an educational function for the building, and added: "It could be more than a youth centre; it could be a centre for youth services, with an advice centre for careers and education, a youth officer and a youth psychologist based there."

The centre, if this plan is taken on board, could also serve as an advice centre for parents who want to home educate their children.

Disabled access may not be a problem, because one idea is to put an access point from the Homend into the building, and a mock up door was recently installed for a few weeks, to to show this and to gauge public opinion.

Ledbury Places is also looking to take on the Heritage Centre and the Burgage Hall in an asset transfer from Herefordshire Council, and it's had success recently in securing substantial grant applications to support "business planning, project management and the legal fees".

Ledbury Place has secured a £10,000 Heritage Lottery Fund start-up grant and a further grant of £9405 from Community Assets through Groundwork UK.

More funding will be sought from the Heritage Lottery Fund this autumn.

And further funding for Ledbury Places could come from local community support.

Anyone can now become a member of Ledbury Places for an annual fee of £12.

Application forms are available at hello@ledburyplaces.org

The aim of Ledbury Places is to secure the future of historic buildings in Ledbury Town Centre which face an uncertain future but which "play a major part in giving the town its unique character".

These buildings include the Barrett Browning Institute;Burgage Hall; Butcher Row House Museum; Heritage Centre; Market House, and the Town Council Offices, including the Elizabethan Painted Room.

Ledbury and District Civic Society joined with Ledbury Town Council, Herefordshire Council, the Trustees of the Barrett Browning Institute and the Ledbury Area Development Trust "to find a sustainable future for the six buildings".