A new modern door into the Barrett Browning Institute has become a hot topic in Ledbury.

The controversial work has been carried out by the building's owners, Ledbury Places, in advance of a plan to make the building a new base for the Ledbury Poetry Festival.

Melissa Hawker, a spokesperson for Ledbury Places, said: "The Barrett Browning Institute with its iconic clock tower had been the local library since 1938, but lack of funding meant that only essential repairs to the first two floors had been done in the intervening 80 years.

"The ground floor was not accessible to wheelchair users, and the entrance on to Bye Street with steps down to a narrow pavement, was dangerous. The new doorway on to the High Street has finally remedied this.

"Urgent repairs to the roof and upper floor were completed in 2018, and with better lighting and a new toilet and kitchen facilities on the ground floor, the building will be ready for the Ledbury Poetry Festival to move in next year, bringing new life to a much-loved building and returning it to its original literary and educational purpose throughout the year.

"This will also ensure that it stays in the ownership and for the use of the people of Ledbury."

A trustee of the Ledbury Poetry Festival defended the actions of Ledbury Places, the building's owners, in installing the new entrance off the Homend.

Peter Arscott said: "It so happens that Ledbury Place's aims and objectives coincide with the Festival's here, but they would have put a door in anyway.

"I think it's a welcoming access, if the door is glass. It's more inviting, and people can look in, and we have to think about wheelchair access."

Mr Arscott said the late Victorian building, at the junction of Bye Street and the Homend, could indeed become a new base for the festival, subject to a feasibility study "to show it is viable".

He added: "It would make the festival a proper year round operation, and would deliver cultural tourism for the area, and would work hand in hand with the High Street."

But not everyone believes the new door in the grade II listed-building is a good thing, with Homend trader and former mayorAnnette Crowe saying a significant number of people were "angry" about it.

This is reflected in debates on local social media.

Linde Melhuish called the new door "totally inappropriate and out of historical context".

She added: "It should be removed and replaced with a door in sympathy with the period of the building.

"It not only cheapens the building itself and is aesthetically displeasing, it also affects negatively those buildings that surround it.

"It's a poor choice altogether, which does nothing to enhance Ledbury’s heritage."

Claire Ellis said: "We all know the new door is for disability access and that's not the issue.

"The new door is not in keeping with the building, looks diabolical and stupid. We realise it's not finished either, but you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear."

But Lisa-Jayne Lewis said: "It may have been the best option to allow for disability access. I suggest that good access for those who need it is more important than if it looks pretty, but maybe that’s just me."