Controversial plans for a historic library have been shelved until the end of the year at least.

Brighton and Hove City Council has put any decision on its future on hold.

The move has been welcomed by campaigners whose fight to preserve Hove library has been backed by more than 4,000 people.

Councillors decided to wait until the new library in Jubilee Street, Brighton, was open before they go ahead with any plans for Hove.

The council has been considering plans to make drastic changes to the Edwardian library in Church Street, Hove, to comply with new legislation ensuring access for disabled people.

One plan would be to make complex adaptations to the building but councillors are also considering more controversial plans to move the library to a more modern space at Hove Town Hall.

However, the building, donated by Andrew Carnegie, has been used as a library for more than 100 years and thousands of people want to keep it that way.

Finance councillor Simon Burgess told the council's policy committee nothing would happen to Hove library until Brighton library was up and running. It is unlikely to be ready before the end of the year.

Friends of Hove Library, set up to persuade the council to keep the service in the original building, gained support from all over the city.

Convenor Christopher Hawtree welcomed the delay and said there was no reason to rush a decision.

He said: "We trust time will now be taken for wisdom to obtain and steps be taken to make the Carnegie building even more splendid. It will complement the new Brighton library.

"At a time when there is much talk of cuts and capping, local government minister Nick Raynsford will not look favourably on a council that spends more on a needless and unpopular move than on maintaining a popular building."

The campaign to preserve the building included setting up a phone hotline and printing advertisements.