A LISTED former Monmouthshire library building could be leased or sold off now it is no longer used for children who aren’t attending mainstream schools.

The grade II listed Abergavenny Public Library was built in 1905 at a cost of £4,000 funded by the Carnegie Foundation though the Scottish-American industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie refused an invitation to open it.

A restrictive covenant reduces the number of potential uses, and prevents it from being used as a public house, restaurant or hot-food takeaway, but doesn’t prevent the property being used for commercial or community uses.

Monmouthshire County Council moved the library service to its Abergavenny Hub, at the Town Hall, in 2015 and has since used the Library Square building for a number of services, including most recently a northern base for its pupil referral service.

However that has since relocated to the Bryn-Y-Cwm property on Old Hereford Road, Abergavenny and as a result the council’s cabinet has agreed to transfer it from the children’s and young people’s service to its landlord services department.

That department will now invite proposals for the leasing or purchase of the building. A report for the cabinet said the building could “enhance the availability of opportunities to the community” including people with disabilities.

Council leader Mary Ann Brocklesby (Labour, Llanelly Hill) said she had an interest in Carnegie buildings.

She said: “I have a personal interest as I have a minor interest in Carnegie buildings and the old library is a Carnegie building that was one of the bequests of Andrew Carnegie, the American multimillionaire who came from Scotland originally, and gave this bequest across the whole of the UK of Carnegie buildings for libraries and other uses for the public communities and put that covenant on it.

“And sad to say some other local councils, around the UK, have sold it off to private owners and turned it into luxury flats, I know of one place in the north of England that’s done that, and so I’m pleased that we are committed to that covenant and ensuring that it benefits our communities.

“While it’s good it’s been used over the years as a library, and then by the pupil referral unit, it’s also good that we remain true to that purpose.”

Cllr Martyn Groucutt, who is responsible for education, said the former library isn’t suitable for the referral unit as there “no breakout rooms and nowhere for kids to go and play and so on.”

He described the building as “much loved” but said in his opinion it is unsuitable for education as “it has the most famous spelling mistake in Abergavenny on the opening stone. The stone mason accidentally spelled Abergavenny with three n’s.”

The Abergavenny Landsdown Labour ward councillor added: “That’s been the subject of many pub quiz questions I’ve set over the years.”

Landlord Services will market the building from early December.

Any decision to award a tender would be presented to the cabinet based on a scoring criteria in accordance with the council’s asset management strategy, possibly in February or March.