Bristol Central Library could relocate to Debenhams' site

Bristol Central Library could be closed as part of the council's budget savings

A city's main library could be relocated to a vacant department store site to save money, a meeting heard.

Bristol's library service budget faces large cuts, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS).

Bristol Central Library could be moved into the vacant Debenhams' store building in the centre of Broadmead to help, council leaders have suggested.

Leaders said relocating from College Green was "just an idea" as the council attempts to find £47.7m in savings.

Moving and reducing library services more broadly, would save £1.38m from the council's budget, councillors have been told.

The library service's budget is proposed to be slashed by about a third, £1.4m, from last year's funding of £4.6m.

'Much-loved building'

Leaders at City Hall told a council meeting on Tuesday that even without the funding gap facing the organisation, escalating energy costs mean it does not have the money to keep all 27 of Bristol's public libraries open.

Deputy mayor Craig Cheney said the council would abandon the idea if it "suddenly found we had another £30m".

Opposition councillors warned the cuts would be "deeply damaging" and could "hollow out a lot of communities".

"Central Library is a very interesting proposal that warrants looking into seriously," Labour cabinet member for public health and communities Ellie King said.

"I get that it's a much-loved, beautiful building.

"It's part of our heritage and very important to a lot of people.

"However, there are opportunities to support this council by moving the service," she added.

"What if we moved it to Broadmead, into the ground floor of Debenhams?

"Imagine the footfall you would get there... because I know the people who shop around here and... I'm interested in getting the kids who shop around there into libraries."

Debenhams closed its department store in Broadmead in May 2021. It shut along with 48 other branches across the UK when the retailer went into administration.

Work began last month at the store after a London firm took over the building, but it has not yet been confirmed exactly what the site will be used for.