Proposal to move Central Library services to Stockroom Consultation

Overview

Stockport Council has been awarded £14.5 million Future High Streets Funding by the government to spend on Stockroom. Thanks to the people who took part in the first phase of engagement on Stockroom which received 1299 responses to an online survey as well feedback from various stakeholder groups.

Following the positive response to the proposal to include 21st Century library facilities in Stockroom, we now want to consult with people about moving the Town Centre library services from Central Library into Stockroom.

We would now like to consult with all stakeholders to understand the level of support and impact on them if library services currently provided in Central Library relocated into the new Stockroom development in Merseyway. All feedback will be used to inform any decisions made on this proposal.

In the UK, every Council has to provide a “comprehensive and efficient library service” by law. Each Council has to decide how best to provide this service in terms of its physical location; access; and types of services on offer.

These services include but are not limited to book loans; computer and Wi-Fi access; heritage and archive material access; activities and events; council advice and support and much more. Some of these services operate from the Central Library building on the A6 close to Stockport Town Centre. Central Library was opened in 1913 and has operated as the Town Centre library since then.

The layout of the building was suitable for how people used libraries through much of the 20th Century. However, the way the building is laid out and the investment needed make it a challenge to deliver a comprehensive and efficient library service, fit for the 21st Century, from the building. The Heritage and Archive library is also only on a provisional accreditation and Place of Deposit status as the Archive Service Accreditation assessment identified risks in current storage that could damage the local heritage collections.

The rules governing how the Future High Streets Fund money can be spent mean spending it on refurbishing Central Library is not possible. The money must be spent on supporting the High Street and repurposing vacant retail space. It is important to note that this is a government award which has been given to Stockport Council and this investment will not mean less Council investment in any of our community library buildings across the borough.

A series of frequently asked questions about this proposal can be viewed here (opens in a new window).

External image of the Central Library building

Internal image of the Central Library building