Former library could fetch £400k at auction

An ex-library building has been put up for auction with a guide price of nearly £400,000 - the second time it has been up for sale since it was closed to the public.

Bids have been invited for the vacant former Crossgates Library on Farm Road in Leeds, with a guide price of £395,000.

The site was first sold off in February last year to raise cash for Leeds City Council after the library service moved to Crossgates Shopping Centre, with a community effort to buy the building unable to raise enough cash to make the purchase.

Now the building, which was built in 1939, could be redeveloped after its current owner instructed Pugh Auctions to sell the building.

According to the Local Democracy Reporting Service, the auction firm said on its website: "While the building is not listed, it is considered to have local heritage value and is a non-designated heritage asset.

"The property enjoys a prominent position on Farm Road and Crossgates roundabout in Crossgates town centre, which is allocated as a designated retail centre."

Pugh Auctions said the property had been partly cleared by the current owner, but renovations would be needed.

The building fetched £482,000 when it was first sold by the same auction firm.

The library site had been vacant since May 2022 and was deemed surplus to requirements by Leeds City Council.

The authority said the building was too big for the library service and alternative uses could not be found.

In January 2024, about 70 campaigners held a protest outside the building, saying they were "angry" at the choices Leeds City Council had made.

But speaking at the time, a council spokesperson said the authority had to sell the building due to its financial situation.

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