Library to close for weeks under £900k revamp

Wellington Library will re-open in its original building at the end of September

A town will be without a library for three weeks to allow for the final phase of a £900,000 refurbishment.

Wellington Library closed on 6 May to allow the first and second floors to be made accessible, with the service temporarily relocating to the Northfield Centre.

This temporary library will shut at 13:00 BST on Saturday, 7 September, with the original Fore Street site re-opening at 09:30 on Monday, 30 September.

The Grade-I listed building has been used as a library since 1969.

The upgrade is designed to improve accessibility for staff and visitors across all floors and deliver increased thermal efficiency of the building, in line with the council’s ongoing commitment to decarbonisation.

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts said: "The closure will give our team of skilled staff time to move thousands of items."

The library was temporarily moved to the Northfield Centre in May

The newly-refurbished site will also offer complementary health and wellbeing services "that work to connect the community, enable partnership working and provide advice and guidance", said the council.

Ms Smith-Roberts, portfolio holder for communities, housing and culture, said it would be "a wonderful hub for the local community and visitors alike".

All items which are on loan once the North Street building is closed will be automatically renewed until at least 21 October.

During the closure, books and other items can still be reserved and collected from Somerset’s other libraries.

The council confirmed in late-July that the North Street building would be sold as part of a wider policy of selling off “non-operational assets” to save money.