A NEW Library being built in Haverfordwest could herald the beginning of a new life for the town centre, the town council has heard.

At an extraordinary meeting of Haverfordwest Town Council to discuss next year’s budget, Pembrokeshire County Council’s Mike Cavanagh gave a presentation on plans for the new library.

Mr Cavanagh asked members to consider contributing an approximate cost of £8,750 a year towards the new library so it could open on Saturday afternoons.

“This is far more than a library,” he said, adding the library would also include a tourism information centre, a café, and an exhibition gallery of national significance.

“This is about economic regeneration, it is about helping the town to get back on its feet.”

Mr Cavanagh said the library could expect to see 200,000 visitors at a conservative estimate based on the combined footfall from the current library and the former tourism information centre.

This could lead to nearly £1m being injected into the local economy as 60% of library visitors were expected to spend an average of £8 while visiting the town.

The exhibition gallery could “put Haverfordwest on the map,” said Mr Cavanagh, with exhibits you might expect to see at galleries in Cardiff, Edinburgh or London.

There would be permanent exhibition focused on local history, as well as significant temporary exhibits due to a five year contract with the National Library of Wales.

Plans are already in place to exhibit works by Turner in the gallery, as well as the Black Book of Carmarthen.

Mr Cavanagh said members could choose how long they wished to provide funding for, and could promise a single year’s funding to test the water before making a longer-term commitment if they wished.

But the council officer pointed out that committing to a single year would mean that some members of library staff may only be hired on a temporary basis.

The town council will make a decision on whether to provide funding for the new library at their next full meeting on Wednesday, November 22.