Northcote road library to close? Post Reply

[cynic]

You should all be very grateful that Wandsworth are actually proposing to build a new library to replace the one they are keen to close.

Unlike their proposals for the York Gardens library a few years ago, where they simply wanted to close the library.
Just so we are clear they wanted to close a library in one of the most deprived areas of the borough.
They based this argument on an absurd metric - net cost per book lent - which unsurprisingly enough turned out to be highest at the York Gardens library.
A campaign was launched to fight this, pointing out for example how many children used the library as a safe space to do homework, etc...

[cynic]

You should all be very grateful that Wandsworth are actually proposing to build a new library to replace the one they are keen to close.

Unlike their proposals for the York Gardens library a few years ago, where they simply wanted to close the library.
Just so we are clear they wanted to close a library in one of the most deprived areas of the borough.
They based this argument on an absurd metric - net cost per book lent - which unsurprisingly enough turned out to be highest at the York Gardens library.
A campaign was launched to fight this, pointing out for example how many children used the library as a safe space to do homework, etc...
F

[janee]

The problem with so much of the accommodation being built is that it is offering no stability. The money is being made from short term lets, rather than providing homes for those who need them. It is for that reason that there should be more council accommodation which is not sold off for people to make profit from.

[mealsonwheels]

Carol2R, the old library is 'fit for purpose' It could easily have a re-fit. It's because the Council want the rents from that piece of land. A coffee machine, a new nappy changing table and new chairs and better computers isn't that hard to fit?

Three storeys does not sound high; but when you look around Chatham Hall, all the other houses are two storeys in Cobham Close, so it would tower above them and take all the light from the houses on Bramfield Road as they don't have gardens, the back wall of the flats would be their wall, thus taking away all the light into about 30 houses. The architect failed to acknowledge on his proposal plans that Chatham Hall is on a hill, so the flats are actually too tall and ARE overbearing.

Not only that, Alphabet Nursery do not want to move and do not want to lose their playground. They have 60 plus children and are ofsted rated OUTSTANDING. They aren't a pack-away nursery and can't just be put into a smaller hall, they are an established nursery who have been there for some 27 years and parents choose the nursery because of it's space and playground. It is appalling how the Council have treated the users of the hall, and not even asked their opinion yet or included them in any of the meetings thus far. Other people use Chatham Hall, rugby tots, ballet, yoga.

The proposed plans have not been thought out properly by the Council. We do not need more housing in this dense area. We need to keep all our schools and preserve open spaces like playgrounds.

Not only that but the new library is being glossed up by the Council, and the gritty details are that the second floor will be a "business suite" as a money spinner and even the first floor has a conference room. So the library is likely to be 30% smaller in reality. So in the Wandsworth Council blurb, the word 'bigger' library is entirely misleading........

[hellokittyerw]

I also suspect that when Wandsworth council say the nursery space will be better it is misleading...
The nursery will lose the playground area and they are opposed to the plan, so how can the nursery space be better??!!

[mealsonwheels]

Please see attached the Council report outlining their proposals:

For example.....

The redevelopment of Chatham Hall requires the temporary closure of the building whilst the library and new community centre are constructed. This will be an inconvenience to the users of the hall, which include:
(a) Alphabeth Nursery
(b) Fancy Footwork Studio Ltd
(c) HathaYoga
(d) Mei Chuan Academy
(e) RugbyTotsSWLondonLtd
26. Enable, the Council‟s leisure and culture services provider, that manages Chatham Hall on behalf of the Council, advise that it is unlikely that users can be temporarily relocated.

[Goldhawk]

Thank you for the enlightening report... it appears the council is keen to up it's revenue from the business suite/room hire of the library

So we get a library 697 sq m vs the old 605 sq m (with 35 sqm given to the bookshop on the ground floor)
However the entire 3rd floor is the business suite = not a library!

Does anyone have a link to the actual plans?

All the arguments they give regarding the use and effective management of the existing library - in point 13 - could be dealt with by rebuilding/refitting the old library - which if someone is turning the space into 2 retail units and 8 flats is going to happen anyway

[Esbek]

There's an online survey on the Council's website where you can write your concerns

http://bit.ly/2kHrskB

Model of the proposed development

http://bit.ly/2kS5YSW