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Local Democracy Reporting Service

An unused brand new library could soon be sold off by Croydon Council as it looks to save money amid its financial crisis.

South Norwood Library is one of five earmarked for closure by the local authority. The others affected are Broad Green, Bradmore Green, Sanderstead and Shirley. This would mean reducing the total number of libraries in the borough from 13 to eight.

As part of a £500,000 council plan, South Norwood Library was due to move from its current ‘outdated and inaccessible’ Lawrence Road site into a new space in Station Road, on the ground floor of Brick by Brick development Pump House.

According to the website of the council-owned developer, all 14 of the flats have been reserved but the transition never happened as the building was not finished to the standard expected and would cost nearly £900,000 to make it suitable to be used as a library.

'Sad situation'

Councillor Oliver Lewis was asked about the future of the new library building at a virtual ‘save our libraries’ rally held by Croydon Unison.

He said: “It is a really sad situation. It has been delayed and it hasn’t been handed over in the format that the library service was expecting, as a result there is significant cost in bringing it forward as a library and we are not able to do that at the moment.

“It is a really prime spot in Station Road, who knows what is going to happen to it, if it’s not going to be used as a library then it could possibly be sold or leased. “

Any decision about the future of assets is subject to what happens in the consultation.

The borough’s library service costs £3.5 million and closing five would save just £500,000 a year.

A public consultation of the future of libraries in the borough has been extended and will run until 14 March, external.

BBC Weather

Today will be a dry and mild day. The morning will be overcast, but cloud will clear in the afternoon to leave plenty of sunshine. Light winds.

Maximum temperature: 11 to 14°C (52 to 57°F).

One in three children in London missed out on a place at their top choice of secondary school, figures from the Pan London Admissions Board show, external.

Across the capital's 33 boroughs, only 66% of families were given their first choice of secondary school this year - the equivalent to 62,453 children - compared with 68% last year.

Hammersmith and Fulham had the lowest proportion of children receiving their top choice, at 57.5%, and in Greenwich 59.9% secured their first preference.

'Stable'

The fall in the number of first-choice places in some areas may have been caused partly by delays to grammar school tests amid Covid-19 disruption.

Normally families are told their child's entry test score before the admissions deadline in October so they can decide whether to apply to the school.

But this year many selective schools could not confirm places until after the deadline as they had to push back the tests in the autumn due to Covid-19.

Elizabeth Campbell, London Councils’ executive member for Schools & Children's Services, said the figures have remained stable compared to last year, suggesting "the vast majority of families have been able to apply for their child’s school place despite challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic".

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