A trust could be formed to take on Ledbury's empty and underused buildings and put them to community use.

The idea is being considered by the Ledbury Partnership, which includes mayor Keith Francis and retailer Len Huff, its chairman.

A planning consultant will be appointed to look at appropriate uses for various buildings. These include the library, youth centre, Market House and old Cottage Hospital. The consultant's report will be submitted this autumn.

Mr Huff said: "Buildings could be taken out of council hands, for example, and put into local control for the best benefit of the local population."

The present library, at the Elizabeth Barrett Browning Institute, is unlikely to meet incoming disabled access laws and Mr Huff suggested that it could be used instead as a youth centre, providing that idea does not fall foul of the same incoming legislation.

He suggested that the youth centre itself, off Bye Street, which is currently not in use but set to be relaunched this spring, could be turned into a new library for Ledbury.

Herefordshire Council is looking into the possibility that the Master's House, on St Katherine's car park, could be used for a new library.

Mr Huff suggested that, instead, it could be used to house local organisations. He said: "There are an awful lot in town and they all need space."

Mr Huff said that the Government's current plan for the old Cottage Hospital, to use the site to house key workers such as NHS staff, might not be a bad idea.

If the trust comes together, it will be a development of the existing Ledbury and Area Regeneration Partnership. The regional development agency, Advantage West Midlands, is the main funding sources for the Partnership, which has attracted over £300,000 into the area in just three years.

Groups to benefit have included Urchins Tots to Teens, The Ledbury Poetry Festival, Ledbury Community Hospital and the shop front grants scheme. The partnership's final wave of funding is due to end this year.

Mr Huff said a body like Advantage West Midlands could be asked to fund the purchase of buildings on behalf of a trust. If all goes to plan, such a trust could be in operation as soon as 2005, with a view to running until 2011.