Acocks Green Library - Temporary Closure from Tuesday 27 August 2013

After intervention from Stewart and myself, we've now received revised pricing on the work to the roof and a solution has been found that keeps the work within the allocated funding and allows the full replacement of the roof, we can now look to set a date. Amazingly, the initial plans only allowed replacement of the roof over the public areas and would have allowed continued leaking into the staff areas at the rear left of the building - some of the damage there already is quite worrying.

It is proposed that the library will be closed from Tuesday 27 August for an initial week to allow preparation of the building for work - we have also instructed that some additional protection is put in place for the train displays at the rear of the building. The contractors should move in from the 2 September to start work for about 12 weeks.

All groups that currently use the library will be temporarily relocated and any books out on loan can be returned to any other library. South Yardley Library will start extended opening hours from the 2 September. If you can't get the books back to other libraries, don't worry - no fines will be incurred if you wait until Acocks Green reopens.

I am inquiring as to whether we can push the closure date back to the end of the school holidays and will update you if that can be done - although I am concerned that we get the work done as soon as possible and before autumn and winter return.

After discussions with the local service manager, we've agreed that the closure date will remain as it is. There are sound administrative reasons that make the original date sensible. It will be inconvenient, as all closures are, but the library team need the time to complete the handover and establish new working regimes.