A PROPOSAL to use Tavistock's pannier market library building as a youth café run by Christians was rejected by councillors last week.
The request came from Gunnislake's Pelicans Youth Café Project Group, which feels there is a lack of facilities for youngsters in Tavistock.
David Stolton of the Pelicans group said a youth café based in the centre of town could provide a safe meeting place, counselling rooms, a job club, computer access, advice and information and a central facility for Christian youth workers.
He said: 'The café would be multi-functional, alcohol, smoke and drug free and available to the whole community, although targeted and designed for young people.
'Space would be available for community-based projects designed to benefit young people in the area.'
Mr Stolton said pledges of finance had been made from local churches and individuals towards such a project.
Christians in the area had already demonstrated their commitment to youth by supporting two full-time workers in schools and another in the Methodist Church, said Mr Stolton.
'It has long been recognised that youth facilities in Tavistock are inadequate.
'The churches and Christian groups, having successfully established youth workers in the area, now feel the time is right to offer much wider facilities to address this inadequacy,' he said.
The library building by Tavistock pannier market is owned by the town council and will become vacant this summer, when the new library in Plymouth Road opens.
At last week's council meeting, Cllr Judith Williams said she had met with staff at the Alexander Centre and Youthwize and was concerned the Pelicans Project would duplicate work already carried out in the town by professionals.
Cllr Robin Pike said: 'I feel one of the hazards of this town is lots of people doing the same thing and not doing it together. What they're talking about is advertised all over the Alexander Centre.'
Cllr Norma Woodcock said the library building was a 'prime retail site' with the potential to bring the council valuable income.
'A lot of groups could benefit by us having income to help them.
'We have had advice these could be potentially extremely valuable retail units — to use them for anything else would be a disservice to this town,' she said.
Cllr John Wright said any use of the site must be suitable, bring in a commercial rent and be sufficiently temporary so as not to prejudice long-term development of the site.
The council agreed to instruct its surveyors to advertise the site as available in three units.