A BUILDING which used to be used as a library in a town near Bridgwater has gone up for sale.

The former North Petherton Library building is now up for sale for the price of £75,000 to anyone who wants to use it for retail, financial, or professional purposes.

Greenslade Taylor Hunt, the estate agents selling the building, say that it has 'strong potential' for re-development into apartments, similar to how the rest of Quantock Parade has been utilised.

The building has a total square footage of 750.2sqft, as well as glazed shop front with a second pedestrian access located to the rear.

A spokesperson for Greenslade Taylor Hunt said: "Quantock Parade is a substantial building designed originally for retail space on the ground floor and residential apartments above.

"Please note that the majority of the ground floor has now been converted into residential apartments and we are of the opinion that these premises have strong potential for the same."

In October 2018, the former Somerset County Council were 'cash-strapped', and recommended the library to close in a bid to save more than £300,000.

It was settled that running the library would cost the council in the region of £26,000 a year - a fee the town council considered funding by increasing council tax.

At the time, Councillor Philip Spencer said: "We are looking at a ten or 15 percent increase in council tax precept to fund the library.

"Around ten percent of the population of North Petherton were using the library when the research was done.

"The council could support it for the first three years with a view to extend that.

"Gaining charity status could reduce the cost but it does take time.

"The increase would be around £4 a year for D band houses."

Despite a huge community effort to keep the library open, eventual storm damage in 2022 forced it to move to to a small hall in the local Community Centre.