A west Wales council has made an offer to buy a psychiatric hospital in order to stop the site from being turned into an asylum centre.

Carmarthenshire council is attempting to purchase St David's Hospital following speculation it could be used to house asylum seekers.

Cllr Meryl Gravell: "We must act quickly"

Council leaders have said they want to ensure the site on the outskirts of Carmarthen, which is due to be closed next year, is used to the benefit of the community.

Concerns have been raised by the local authority that the former hospital could become an asylum centre "or other form of institution".

Council leader Meryl Gravell said there were rumours the Welsh Assembly was considering this proposal without any consultation.

"The council has had to move quickly to try to secure ownership of the site.

"We need to make sure that any developments benefits the local community and that decisions about the future of the site are made here in Carmarthenshire," she said.

Any decision on housing asylum seekers on the site would be made by the Home Office.

Carmarthenshire's bid has received cross-party support with members.

Mark James: Commercial developments

The council's chief executive, Mark James, said the site could be used for other purposes.

"St.David's is probably one of the best development sites in the town and could be utilised for a mixture of residential and appropriate commercial developments."

The latest row about housing asylum seekers in Wales follows in dispute in May involving another former psychiatric hospital in Sully near Barry in south Wales.

The location of asylum seekers has become a area of concern for the UK Government.

As many as 15 asylum seeker accommodation centres could be built under new government plans to deal with the dispersal of refugees around Britain.

Support

Cllr Gravell said the authority supported the need to re-house asylum seekers in this country and Carmarthenshire.

According to Cllr Gravell, Carmarthenshire is already part of a consortium of Welsh councils prepared to provide suitable and appropriate housing when required.

She said that money being generated from the sale of other development sites in the town would be used to purchase the St David's site.

Council leaders have asked for a meeting with First Minister Rhodri Morgan, to discuss the future of the site.