Bromsgrove Library move to Parkside gets go ahead

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WORCESTERSHIRE County Council is pushing forward with the multi-million pound plan to relocate Bromsgrove Library from Stratford Road to the former Parkside School building.

The authority said the decision was taken after 74 per cent of those residents and library users who responded during the 12-week consultation backed the proposal.

In total, more than 100 residents gave the thumbs up to the move and around 40 people have already offered to become volunteers in the new library.

The vision is for the site to become a multi-purpose community facility including a customer service centre, registry office, community hall, district council chamber and offices for the district and county council.

In total the project will cost an estimated £6.9million which will be split 50/50 between Bromsgrove District Council and Worcestershire County Council.

The library move is part of Worcestershire County Council's aim to slash £1.8million from its library services budget.

It is also hoped around £1.68million will be raised form selling off the existing buildings and spaces, including the county council's Windsor Street offices, the current library, the registration office in School Drive, the Bromsgrove Hub in the Dolphin Centre and the district council offices in Burcot Lane.

A report for members of the county council's cabinet committee said the existing library in Stratford Road was in need of costly repairs, had no flexible spaces for learning and no potential for sharing its spaces with other services.

It added the consultation showed the proposed relocation to be incorporated into a community hub was welcomed by most users.

"The library is integral to the project due to its large customer base and without it the viability of the project would come into question," it added.

Coun John Campion, Worcestershire County Council's cabinet member for communities and localism, said the move would bring about a new improved service for library users and bring new life to a listed building with a prominent town location.

Coun Anthony Blagg, Worcestershire County Council's local member for Bromsgrove, added: "We have seen the enormous success of The Hive in Worcester, and we would want a new library in Bromsgrove to have a similar impact on the community."

A planning application will be submitted in February next year and it is hoped the project could be completed by December 2014.

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