Chingford Library Redevelopment

Scrutiny Decision - no change

Growth Scrutiny Committee Meeting - Utube

Chingford Hub - LBWF

40 new homes by Sixty Bricks

Petition


Cabinet Meeting 11th June - Page 17 Chingford Hub

The Chingford Hub will consist of a new library that meets the community’s needs, including affordable multiuse assembly space, a café and learning space, including space for use by the Adult Learning Service. It also offers the potential to provide enhanced facilities for older people by providing a focus for these services in this part of the Borough. The Hub will play host to a range of events and will include a double height ceiling to allow for larger assemblies, re-providing the facilities that are currently available in the Assembly Hall. The Hub will be funded via an enabling residential development of around 40 much needed new homes (subject to planning), with a target of 50 percent affordable homes for local people.

Wood Street Library update

Wood Street Library

Last night (19/3/19) at the Wood Street Community Ward Forum Cllr Miller reported that 2 community groups had said they would be bidding for the existing library building. He did not reveal who these groups are but we do know that one of them has withdrawn. Up until the closing date of the ACV, 8th July 2019, the council would have to consider these offers.

After the 8th July they can put the building on the open market. After a viability assessment they would then have to decide which offer to take. In the meantime the council is preparing their own scheme for the building.

Improving the Library Service

 At the Ward Forum meeting Louise Duffield outlined the plans for the new library beside the Coop store. Behind the current hoardings the new library will occupy the ground floor from Wood Street to the Post Office. The Post Office will be relocated next to the current marketing suite. Once the old Post Office is demolished a large plaza and children's playground will be built.

The council provided those at the meeting with a range of stats showing the use of the current library and they are hoping to broaden the range of users and increase the numbers using the new building. Currently the main users are young families with few elderly people using it.

Residents attending the meeting were put into 2 Workshops, one developing ideas to attract more people to the library and the other working out the internal layout of the library. It was felt that those "working from home" should be accommodated at one end with good WiFi, a teenage area in the middle and the cafe and children's area at the far end close to the new children's play area. There will be one small meeting room in the building which will be let out. In good weather there will be an opportunity to put out tables and chairs on the plaza for cafe users.

There is a trial at Higham Hill library, which so far has been successful, to allow library users in using a card access system 24 hours per day. The library is expected to be open every day of the year except for 4 days i.e. Christmas Day etc.

A Library Forum has been set up to advise on the details for the new library and more members are needed so if you want to help with the new library please get in touch with one of your local councillors.

Wood Street Library Update 2

Despite allowing Wood Street First to address the Cabinet meeting the Chair and Vice Chair had already decided the scheme should go ahead and the rest of the Cabinet just followed their lead and voted in favour. I think it is called a dictatorship! It was a total waste of our time trying to lobby the "strong leader" as she clearly wants to destroy anything old or attractive.

As a result of the Cabinet decision today a new library will be cobbled together using 3 new shop units in the Marlowe Road development, the existing building will be demolished and to comply with the London Plan a tall building, probably 20 storeys, will be built by a private developer to provide a Gateway in to Wood Street to complement the existing St.David's tower block.

The council has wanted to do this for years so once the new library opens, probably in early 2019, the old library will handed over to the new developer who will commence work sometime next year. To achieve that timescale a consultation of the new building to replace the existing one may well be in August when we are all on holiday!

What is the point of getting involved in local community matters when those in power despise you so much!

For more info.....

Wood Street Libray - update 1

After a year of fake news it appears the original story that Wood Street Library is to move to the new Marlowe Road estate is true. 3 new shop units are to be acquired by the council to house a new library and the old one sold for £2.6m to fund the move and the refurbishment of Lea Bridge Library. It is wrong to sell off this community iconic building, a gateway into Wood Street, for a cheap modern indistinguishable building. It is another defeat for the public who have opposed the sell off of the iconic building. Why should a primary school be subjected to another building site on its doorstep?

The Cabinet decides at its meeting on the 17th July.

Cabinet Decision about Wood Street Library

Report of new plans

Visuals

Wood Street Library Plans

Wood Street Library

Apparently Countryside will no longer be providing space in the Marlowe Road development for a new library as the council has decided to keep the existing one because of pressure from the public!! Do I detect an election in the offing!!

Wood Street Library

Library Update

Library Statement

Library Consultation nearing its end

Library Consultation

Higham Hill Library update

Hi all  

I'm just sending out some information about an event that we are organising this coming Sunday 4 December as part of the We Love Higham Hill Library campaign to save our much-loved community library.  This is to all non-Facebook friends!

It was opened on Sat 5 December 1931, so this weekend will be its 85th Birthday!

Join us to celebrate as follows - 

1.45pm  Meet outside the library for the presentation of a commemorative blue plaque

2 - 4pm  Celebrate with mulled wine, mince pies and cake at Priory Court Community Centre

We will meet and mingle - plus there will be children's activities, placard-making, speeches and we will have some UEL students with us who are doing a community project and hope to film anyone who would like to speak about the library.

Would love to see you there - please let your friends know about the event too.

Best wishes, Susan

Campaign information

We have an online petition - please sign and share.  You can access it from the FB page We Love Higham Hill Library or via this link https://www.change.org/p/save-our-libraries-we-love-higham-hill-library      

Please also share this widely throughout your friends and any of your networks.  

We have a website called  www.welovehighamhilllibrary.co.uk  and we are also on Twitter.

Library Campaign update

Complete the Library Survey



Highams Park Library

Higham Hill Library

Wood Street Library

At last week's Wood Street Ward Forum residents expressed anger at the move of the library to a new site in the Marlowe Road development. The council was unable to give any details except the existing building needs over £1m spent on it. 

It makes no sense to empty an iconic building like the Wood Street library building without having another use for it. The reality is the council's property department has been wanting to sell the site for housing for many years. They refused to hand over the adjacent redundant housing offices site to Woodside school as they would make more money selling it on the open market. Now that site has become a nondescript block of flats with the curious name of Foundery Mews.

Hopefully the community will be inspired by the Mill and takeover the building and use it as a community asset.

Library support grows

Library Support Grows

Waltham Forest Libraries future

From Stella Creasy MP's Newsletter

The Future of Walthamstow's Libraries: Wood Street and Higham Hill Response from Waltham Forest Council

A number of residents have been in touch with me regarding reports circulating online about possible closures to local libraries. I have asked Waltham Forest Council about this and received the following response:

"I can reassure you that Waltham Forest Council have no plans to stop providing a library service in the Wood Street area of the borough. The Council is committed to continuing to fund eight libraries in the borough, of which one serves the Wood Street area. What the Council is proposing to do is consult with residents and other stakeholders on a proposal to relocate both Higham Hill and Wood Street libraries to more modern and accessible locations in the locality where it will be possible to provide better and more flexible services in more economic premises. In the case of Wood Street, the Council will be consulting on moving the library service from the current library to a new building providing retail, other public services and residential accommodation on Marlowe Road.

[...] The Council is committed to providing at least as good services from the new location as from the current library. This would include hosting the reading group and other activities for people of all ages and abilities including ensuring the new library is better for people with disabilities, but in a modern building that can adapt more easily to changing demands than can the current library.
The Council is about to launch an eight week consultation in which it will meet with local people to outline what is proposed and to hear views on these proposals as well as asking for people to respond to a survey. Details of meetings and the survey will be promoted in the library and on the Council's website. The Council is committed to all residents still living within 1.5 miles of a Library Local e.g. in the Wood Street area"

As and when I have further details of this consultation I will circulate these- if you are interested in this issue please do contact your local Councillors to let them know your views.