Almost 900 responses were received during a consultation over cash-saving plans to move Aberaeron’s library ‘out of town’ into Ceredigion County Council’s Penmorfa offices, a meeting has heard.

The “proposal and public consultation provoked a strong response from the public”, documents put before the council’s Corporate Services Scrutiny and Overview Committee on Monday, 23 September said.

The report said that 896 responses were received – 91 per cent of which disagreed with the planned move away from its current County Hall base.

The “key concerns” included the loss of footfall for local businesses and the increased walking distance making it unusable for those with physical limitations.

A public meeting held in July met the plans with “anger” and warned that elderly library users would find it hard to access the new facility except by car.

The meeting heard that the plan would save on staff costs and improve facilities and carbon efficiency.

On Friday it was revealed that, despite no final decision having been made, Ceredigion council has been handed £210,000 from the Welsh Government “for the development of the new Aberaeron Library.”

That grant was applied for back in December, the meeting heard, leading to concerns that the decision had been “predetermined.”

Sian Stewart, chair of Cymdeithas Aberaeron, said the library should remain in County Hall.

She said that the “weight of public opinion” was “being ignored.”

“The decision to move the library has already been taken,” she warned members.

The meeting heard that Ceredigion council “has to apply for funding ahead of time” and the awarded grant will only be accepted when a decision has been made.

A council report said: “With the backdrop of unused building space, reception, and customer service duplication in Penmorfa and significantly lower use than other libraries, a grant proposal was created to redevelop a new library to be based in Penmorfa to modernise library provision.”

Aberaeron councillor Elizabeth Evans called the consultation a “mockery” and “misleading” and said that “every business in the town would be horrified if the library moved.”

She said that the library should be developed to remain in the town centre.

The report said that the current library building is likely to be converted and leased for commercial or business use to “replace footfall and provide employment opportunities ”as it is in a “prime location”.

“Whilst the library service would like to maintain a large library in the centre of each of our towns this is not financially viable,” the report concluded.

“We face significant challenges to maintain any service and without a concerted effort to develop a more resilient service, the quality of future library provision is put further at risk.”

The closure of Aberaeron library, plus savings across the county’s other three libraries are slated to achieve a saving this year of £70,000.

The aim is to move the library by next March next.

Committee members declined to give any recommendation to Cabinet and instead voted to visit County Hall to investigate the planned move.