No consultation on Acomb Library upgrade plans

We reported a few weeks ago that Council owned land to the rear of Acomb Library – and which had been hijacked for use as a building compound – was now available once again for its original purpose.

The and had been purchased by the Council over 10 years ago to establish a “one stop shop” for public services as part of a plan to expand the library site. The need for a local Council base became more urgent when the Acomb Housing Office was subsequently closed in 2013.

Nothing much happened on the site until the new Liberal Democrat led Council announced a plan to invest £4 million in the library sites at Acomb and Clifton. That was two years ago. Things once again have fallen silent in the interim.

It appears though, from a progress report being considered by the Council next week, that plans for the site have already been drawn up.

York Council Acomb Library expansion update report April 2021

No public consultation has taken place and the Front Street survey – which ended a few days ago – failed to offer any options for the library site.

The original aspiration was for housing estate managers, the police, the NHS and neighbourhood workers to have a base at the new building. It remains to be seen whether this concept will be pursued.

In the interim the Council has constructed a new small housing office as part of the Lincoln Court redevelopment.

The land to the rear of Chancery Court (not Council owned) would have been landscaped as part of the project.

It was hoped that many more residents would make use of the Front Street facility as a result of the new investment. It would become a natural “hub” for the local community.

Apparently, the early plans for the site have been costed at £3 million. They are currently being scaled back to something “more affordable”.

The recently opened new library at Burnholme cost £4.6 million.

The Council needs to engage with potential users of facilities like these before plans are firmed up.

Way open for Acomb Library expansion

The development to the rear of the Acomb Library (Bowling Lane) is almost complete with most of the homes now occupied.

The Council owned site, currently being used as a builders yard, will shortly close opening the way for a start to be made on the long awaited upgrade to the Acomb Library.

The Council has a budget of £2 million allocated in each of the next two years (starting on 1/4/21) to provide “Centres of Learning and Opportunity for all” at Acomb & Clifton libraries.

Plans to provide a “one stop shop” for public services at Acomb Explore date back over a decade and the land to the rear of South View Terrace was purchased by the Council (from a local builder) with the intention of improving the whole area.

Sadly, that intention stalled, and the land became overgrown. It was a major missed regeneration opportunity.

The “Lockdown” period has provided Council officials with adequate time to refined their proposals for the site and we expect to see public consultation starting shortly.

We do not want building activity in the area to continue for longer than is essential, so some drive and enthusiasm is now required.

The publication of a draft development timetable would be a good start.

Libraries in York – another report

The Council will be discussing another report on the future of library buildings in York next week. There is little new in the document.

We have seen a decade of agonising about the service which has been run for several years by an independent – not for profit – social interest organisation. They recently won the right to run the library service for a further 15 years.

Whether staff moral has held up in the face of Council indecisiveness in recent years may be open to question.

Compared to other areas, York has a relative successful library service. It has not slipped into the “basket case” situation seen recently with several other public services in the City.

Usage levels have been stable, no libraries have been closed, new libraries have been established at Burnholme, New Earswick and the soon to be opened (probably) Community Stadium. The Reading Café in Rowntree park is successful and an overhaul of the Central Library and Archives has been completed.

The library service has recognised that it needs to be more than a book lending service. Some have styled themselves as learning or “explore” centres. Some have opened cafes. Several have established “Friends of” groups.

Derelict expansion site behind Acomb Explore Library 2017

But progress in west York has been slow.

In 2008 the Council identified the need to expand the Acomb Library. It had had a modest extension to the front, but other parts of the building were aging. The Council decided to acquire land to the rear to facilitate expansion. The idea was that a “one stop shop” should be established with staff moving in from the then nearby “Acomb Office”. Officials were told to buy the bowling club land but failed to push a deal though. The bowling club was latter to be sold to a private housing developer. The Council land is now part of a building compound.

The expansion plans were jettisoned by a new administration when it took office in 2011.

Since then the staff from the Acomb (housing) Office have been centralised into West Offices. There has been no significant investment in the library building. The acquired land became an overgrown eyesore.

About two years ago an opportunity arose to rationalise the site by incorporating the library, bowling club and extension land into one redevelopment plan.

The Council failed to act. As a result, expansion options have been compromised.

The latest report confirms a £4 million budget for improvements to the libraries in Acomb and Clifton. This was first announced 4 months ago. The report says that the use of this investment is aimed at “reducing running costs”.

The report talks of identifying “co-location partners”

It will be mid 2021 at the earliest before residents will see any building work taking place at the Acomb Explore site.

Acomb Explore events noticeboard 14th October. Needs updating

So for the next 4 years west York will no doubt be expected to muddle through

The report confirms that “the 15-year Library Contract sets out the requirement for Explore (the operators) to co-locate all the Gateway libraries by 31 March 2027”.

This could have significant implications for smaller libraries such as that at Dringhouses.