Westmorland and Furness Council is working on design options and costings for a library facility on the site of the closed Roose Library in Barrow, which was badly damaged in a fire following an arson attack.
Following the library building’s closure, the council explored temporary library options on alternative sites and held discussions with operators of community facilities in Roose about sharing space in their buildings.
The council was able to re-establish library services in the area when it opened Roose Temporary Library @ Barrow Park, in the ATP building next to Barrow Park Leisure Centre, earlier this year.
At the same time the council engaged with the local community on a long-term, permanent library offer, and has had conversations and received feedback from around 300 individuals and organisations in Roose. The engagement has also included discussions with other services that use the library, such as family hubs and adult education services, to gather their views.
The council has now secured funding to develop costed design options for a library facility on the site of the closed Roose Library.
A spokesperson for the council said: “We are still in negotiation with the insurance loss adjuster over the claim following the fire, but once the final outturn is known this will be factored into the estimated costings in the business case.
“This will allow the council to have a clear understanding of the likely costs of different options, and we will continue our conversations with the community during the design options stage so we can make an informed decision about the next steps and the best way forward.
“We recognise the interest in, and importance of resolving, this issue and can assure everyone that we are working hard to progress this, ensuring we are achieving the best and most sustainable outcome for library services in Roose.’’
The council has been working closely with local councillors on the Furness Locality Board and keeping Locality Board members, the local MP and Roose Library members updated.
The spokesperson added: “We very much recognise the importance of access to library facilities and appreciate this is taking some time to resolve, complicated by the nature of the closure and the resulting insurance claims, and we appreciate people’s patience, understanding and support while this is resolved.
“Our teams have worked hard to ensure that a temporary library provision was put in place and have also been working alongside the community on the long-term solutions. The agreement to develop costed design options for a library facility on the Roose site is a positive step forwards to ensuring we get the best and most sustainable outcome for library services in Roose.’’