As work progresses well on removing the asbestos from the plant room at the top of Grimsby Central Library, the next steps for the building are being considered.
A report on the initial high-level estimated costs and timescales for the works to bring the building back into use has gone before Councillors at the cross-party Library Services Select Committee on 14 January.
The Select Committee has previously endorsed the decision made by the NELC Cabinet in October of last year which said that in principle the Central Library should be re-opened subject to confirmation of the options and costs. The report taken to the Select Committee was undertaken externally from the Council, and looks at several options for both the internal and external works needed to bring the building back into use.
Initial work, to remove asbestos from the plant room is ongoing. Following that, as previously reported, there will be access to the roof which could then be inspected and assessed to find out whether it could be repaired, or whether it needs to be replaced. Decisions will then be taken about the next steps.
Once the roof is either repaired or replaced, in order to bring the building back into use, asbestos would need to be removed, as far as practicable, throughout.
Work to remove asbestos from the rest of the building has an estimate, based on market feedback, in the region of around £2.3 million in total (including a contingency allowance) and could take about a year to complete just for that stage of work, including tendering and carrying out the works.
In terms of repairs and refurbishment, there are options within the report about the future use of the building, but all currently include bringing the library back into the basement, ground and mezzanine floors as a minimum.
External works during the refurbishment period could also include replacement of windows as well as the internal works.
Options have been costed in outline for the upper floors, to use these for office space and/or cultural / community use. Depending on the fit-out options for the building, the total works could cost between £12.3m and £13.6m with the earliest potential reopening date of around Spring 2029.
The Select Committee made the following recommendation to the Economy, Culture & Tourism Scrutiny Panel, which is meeting next week on the 22 January:
“That in order to prevent further damage to the Central Library building, and in order to provide full, safe access, capital funding should be agreed on an urgent basis, sufficient to allow roof replacement, appropriate remediation to prevent significant water ingress through other openings, and asbestos removal from the full building, and for the above works to be completed on an urgent basis.”
Committee Chair, Cllr Steve Holland (Independent), said “The Select Committee is still gathering evidence and wants to hear as many views as possible. This is particularly important when deciding the future of Grimsby Central Library.
“We are confident at this stage that a solution can be found which preserves the heritage and unique architecture of the building but which will also make it fit-for-purpose on a practical level and it then becomes a treasured community asset for decades to come.
“The barrier will be cost of course, and that is something that needs to be collectively addressed with the aim of trying to achieve a consensus.”
No final decisions have been made about the future of the library yet.
People who wish to make representations to the Select Committee, should email [email protected] providing their contact details and – in no more than 150 words – outlining the organisation they represent (if that is the case), the main points they wish to raise and whether they would be interested in addressing the Select Committee in person.
Link to the Select Committee page: Library Services Select Committee | NELC
Share this article