YORK'S Central Library could leave its home of nearly 80 years, for a new base across the city centre in Hungate.

Council bosses have floated the idea of creating a new "library learning centre" as part of the redevelopment of the Hungate site, off Stonebow.

But City of York Council stressed today no decisions had yet been taken, and any new central library would cost far more than could be raised through selling the existing building in Museum Street.

The library, which had almost 850,000 visits in 2004/05, is at the back of the council's main offices in St Leonard's Place.

The authority is considering selling those buildings as part of a scheme to create a single £30 million council building in Hungate, housing 1,600 staff from offices across the city.

A spokeswoman said today the Hungate site had always included within it sufficient space - with planning permission - for a community building".

She said: "No decisions have yet been taken about what might be possible, desirable or affordable. In the course of discussions, a host of proposals have been floated.

"These include ideas like the establishment of a library learning centre, the provision of a city centre youth facility, and the possibility of a performance space."

But she said: "Any new central library would have a substantial cost attached, which would be far more than could be raised by the sale of the existing building."

The current library was opened on September 23, 1927, by the Earl of Elgin and Kincardine, chairman of the Carnegie UK Trust, which contributed £13,000 towards the costs.

A report in November called for steps to boost usage of York's libraries, which it said were not used by 70 per cent of residents.

The document, by scrutiny officer Barbara Boyce, said there was a fundamental need to replace and refurbish buildings, especially the Central Library.

It identified steps that should be taken to create a "contemporary, vibrant and flexible library service for the city of York".

It said libraries should inspire people to join a reading or homework club, listen to storytelling, sign up to an evening class or discover their family history, and people should be able to meet new friends there, surf the internet, access any book ever published, look for job opportunities and hire the latest DVD.

Coun Chris Hogg, chairman of the authority's leisure and heritage scrutiny board, said then: "If a public library is to remain important to the community it serves, it has to meet the increasingly diverse needs of its present and potential users."

Updated: 11:05 Monday, January 23, 2006