Work to start on library transformation
Published Thursday, 24th October 2024Work is about to start on the main phase of a quarter of a million pounds of improvements to Seaton Carew Library, securing its future and making it an exciting space for the whole community.
Hartlepool Borough Council is turning the tired and draughty 1970s building into a welcoming, accessible and vibrant Community Hub offering a much wider range of services.
The library will close its doors at the end of Saturday 26th October for about four months while the work is carried out.
The improvements will include energy efficiency measures such as improved lighting – double glazing has already recently been fitted.
Automatic doors will be installed at the main entrance and an accessible toilet added.
There will be new carpets and flooring and most of the books will be relocated into the existing children’s library space (with no reduction in book numbers), creating a more open, flexible and inspiring community space in the main library area.
In common with Hartlepool’s other Community Hubs, a local artist will be commissioned to paint a mural depicting a popular children’s story to enhance the children’s reading area.
The existing office and staff room will be relocated to create a private meeting room for use by community groups and for hire.
The kitchen will be relocated and upgraded to allow for refreshments and snacks to be sold, and a gallery wall will be created to display small exhibitions.
Looking forward to the transformation - (from left) Councillor Gary Allen and library staff and users Denise Sparrowhawk, Jennifer Elwine, Jenny Nicol, Karen Kloed, Matthew Picken, Mary Smurthwaite and Margaret Gregory
The improvements have been made possible after the Council bid for and won a £200,000 grant from the Libraries Improvement Fund, which is delivered through Arts Council England.
The remaining £50,000 has come from the Council itself, in the form of a roof replacement which has already been completed.
To complement the improvements, a new path has recently been laid from nearby Seaton Park to the library, created by construction company Wates and its local supply chain Hewitson Ltd at their own expense, making it easy for park users to drop into the library and enjoy the new facilities.
Councillor Gary Allen, Chair of the Council’s Adult and Community-Based Services Committee, said: “These improvements will transform Seaton Library and put it at the very heart of the community.
“They will create a warm and welcoming environment which is accessible to everyone and which people will want to visit regularly and enjoy spending time in.
“Turning it into a Community Hub will allow us to co-locate in it services which have proved so popular in our other Community Hubs, such as Jobs and Skills, the Support Hub, the Fablab and Digital Inclusion and allow us to provide space for external partner organisations to deliver support such as financial advice and mental health.”
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