Consultants are to be taken on to push forward plans for a multi-million pound repla-cement for Bradford's outdated Central Library.

They will be asked to investigate demolishing the 1960s building to make way for either a single building or different departments dotted about the city, as part of the city centre's regeneration.

The news that the library could be demolished follows yesterday's T&A story revealing that the stark Tyrls central police station has been sold and will be pulled down.

The police station site is set to form part of an urban park and water features within the visionary master plan for the city centre. It has been bought jointly by Bradford Centre Regeneration - the joint venture company set up to spearhead the renaissance of the city - and Government funded Yorkshire Forward.

But the option to get rid of the Central Library is part of a separate major arts and media project which is not connected with the regeneration company.

The possibility of pulling it down and replacing it will be considered by a specialist company, to be chosen shortly, which will do a detailed study into the multi-million pound Lightwave project.

The National Mus-eum of Photography, Film and Television, Bradford University, Bradford Council and the Learning and Skills Council have linked to draw up plans for the project which could cost up to £94 million.

The partnership is now going out to tender for an outside organisation to do the detailed study to get the project off the ground.

An appointment on the consultants is expected in May.

A spokesman from the Nat-ional Museum said significant funding from partners had now given the project a solid foundation to build on.

He added they were looking for an organisation with the "necessary flair and vision" to produce the detailed scoping study.

Bradford Council's director of arts and heritage and leisure Jane Glaister said: "Part of the scoping study will be looking at options which will include a new library for the 21st century.

"It could be a new library on the site or it could be on different sites in the city centre for reading and reference for example."

The eight storey library next to the National Museum was opened in 1967.

In the past year it has issued nearly 247,000 books compared with 1.4 million for the entire district, while about 40,528 videos, CDs, DVDs and talking books went out from the Central Library compared with 96,219 for the district.

The Lightwave project could include music and dance workshops, a film gallery, broadcasting centre, post graduate courses and training.