A campaign group is concerned about the future of Nottingham Central Library after it was announced the site has been sold.
Nottingham People’s Assembly says ‘more questions have been raised than answered’ about its future after Nottingham City Council announced the Angel Row site has been sold to developers.
The council has said it sold the facility because the deal will allow Sheffield firm Henry Boot to create much-needed premium office space in the city and ‘provide funding to reinvest in a new and updated library facility’.
Leaders at the authority have repeatedly stressed there will still be a new, improved, central library – which could be kept inside the current building or moved to another as-yet unknown central location.
However, the assembly says the announcement has a ‘lack of clarity’ and have set up a petition demanding more details and guarantees about the site’s future.
Secretary of the group, Stewart Halforty, said: “The council are claiming that they plan to keep the library but as they are selling the building, both of their claims cannot be true.
“We are worried that if they have not got plans in place before they sold, the public has no power to make demands.”
Stewart also said that libraries play an important part in helping people to access facilities they may not otherwise be able to.
He said: “The service is incredibly well-used. I went to see it yesterday [Thursday] and it was heaving with people using it in a variety of different ways.
“There are people who need access to these facilities who maybe cannot afford internet access at home, such as those who have a low fixed income.
“People need libraries more than ever.”
A city council spokesman said: “We are at an early stage and we have not got more detail at the moment on what the library will look like and how big it will be.
“This is to announce that a deal has been struck and there will be more detail to follow.”
Leader of the City Council Jon Collins reassured the public that there will be a library in the city.
He said: “I understand people’s concerns about the sale and where the library will go but rest assured – there will be a central library in Nottingham.
“It would be ludicrous to lose such important services in a city centre and has never been our intention.
“The council has always been committed to our central library and library facilities across the city, given the range of services they provide for all citizens.”
When Notts TV contacted Henry Boot, the company said that questions about the future of the library should be directed back to the council.
