Darlington'S town centre library is to be converted to provide access for disabled people.

Darlington Borough Council has applied for planning permission to install a lift at the town's main library, in Crown Street, which is a listed building.

Access to the lift will be from a set of double doors on the Priestgate side of the library and will accommodate disabled people and those with pushchairs.

Plans will be drawn up following an extensive consultation with library users and other interested parties.

The project is expected to cost £145,000.

Darlington Action on Disability and other groups have been calling for access to the library to be improved for a number of years.

They worked with the council to develop the proposal for the installation of a lift.

The lift will also be used by library staff who want to carry large numbers of books into the basement.

The proposal is currently under consultation for 21 days and will then go to a council committee for approval.

Before a final decision can be made, the Government Office in the North-East will have to give permission for the work to be done, because it is a listed building.

The Government department would then give the borough council the power to approve the work.

It is hoped the planning process will be completed by the end of January. If permission is granted, work on the installation could begin by the end of February.

A Darlington council spokeswoman said: "It is a listed building and so the new access has been designed to blend into the architecture of the building, both inside and out.

"Any work will fit into the character of the building, which has an historic place in Darlington's landscape.

"This new lift will make it a lot easier for people to get in and out of the library, both the disabled and families with young children, who currently have to make it up the stairs and rely on the help of others.

"We want as many people as possible to access the facilities of the library and this work should make that easier."