THE library and education centre in Newton Abbot has been re-housed for 12 months while the building undergoes a major multimillion pound transformation.

The library building in Market Street has shut completely for lengthy redevelopment work and its services have been relocated half-a-mile away to Teign House, Kingsteignton Road.

The temporary move has been described as the 'perfect solution' while the upheaval of construction work to transform the historic Market Street building into a 'modern library' takes place.

Devon County Council's Cabinet member for libraries, Cllr Stuart Barker, said: "We are keen to avoid any disruption to library users while the work is underway and believe that the new temporary site at Teign House will provide the perfect solution. I would encourage everyone to continue to use the library at its temporary location, where staff will be working hard to make sure the library and learning service in Newton Abbot continues as normal during the redevelopment."

The council approved plans to press ahead with the redevelopment at the end of last year. It has said the transformation will see the library become one of Devon's 'new generation' of libraries that will provide more than traditional library services.

It held a public consultation last month to find out what people would like the new facility to provide.

Cllr Barker said: "The community engagement event in Newton Abbot resulted in valuable feedback from library users and local residents.

"Like us, people would like Newton Abbot's new library to include a variety of other services, and provide improved facilities for a wider range of people.

"These included ideas about a dedicated area for young people, better space for adult and community learning and arts event, meeting rooms for local groups to use and better storage and display areas for the railway studies collection, which is the largest collection of railway studies material outside the National Railway Museum in York."

The temporary provision at Teign House will have the same opening hours as the library has now and will continue to provide events, activities and computer access.

Most learning centre classes will remain unchanged, except pottery classes which will be held in Totnes's library.

The library on Market Street closed on Saturday and reopened at Teign House on Tuesday.

The Adult and Community Learning office also reopened in Teign House on Tuesday.

All other services will continue as normal while the relocation takes place.

Access to the Railway Studies collection in Teign House will be by prior appointment only on Wednesdays, Thursday mornings and Saturdays.

Newton Abbot library currently receives over 180,000 visits annually, issuing around 160,000 items.

Subject to receiving planning permission, the council anticipates that the Market Street library could reopen by early autumn 2011.