Colwyn Bay library closure-and-move plan back on agenda

A controversial plan to close a library building and incorporate it into council offices is back on the agenda after a consultation into the service was launched.

Conwy county council asked the public to give its views on the new five-year library and information services strategy this week.

Among the proposals is a plan to close Colwyn Bay library and bring lending services into a community hub based at its nearby Coed Pella Road county offices.

The idea promises “a hub and spoke approach, with staff in the town and community libraries having the same capabilities and access to information” as those in Coed Pella.

However there has been a lot of opposition to the closure of the century-old building on social media.

Colwyn Bay library was built using funds from public subscription and it needs £175,000 of essential maintenance work to be brought up to standard, according to council officers.

In total, almost £470,000 would have been needed to be spent on libraries in the county to get them up to scratch – including in Llanrwst.

Plans to move Llanrwst library into a community hub based at the former Glasdir business centre in the town are already well advanced.

At the original scrutiny meeting the idea was floated at in February the council chairman, Cllr Abdul Khan, said: “I see the closure of shops and it will be another iconic building going if we don’t have any plan in place.
“It’s also probably the only library that’s getting revenue from renting out space to Llandrillo College.
“My question is do we have any plan in place before we close another building in Colwyn Bay?”

Ann Lloyd Williams, section head of culture and information, said it was a consultation and no decisions had been made.

She also said there “may be other proposals” and it would need “quite a lot of work” before any changes took place, before adding going to the library for some services and Coed Pella for others was “confusing” for service users.

Elsewhere in the consultation there are a number of other ideas and activities people are being invited to get involved with, including:

• Participating in a feasibility study, identified as part of the master plan, for a community hub in the west end of Abergele
  Continuing the development of Conwy Culture Centre
• Evaluating the community library model after five years in existence. Agreeing a sustainable model for the next five years in partnership with town and community councils
• Continuing to work in partnership with health and social care to explore the range of opportunities library spaces and resources provide to support mental health and wellbeing
• Increasing the use of technology to improve access to council information services
• Developing services for communities that are remote from council services, by using the mobile and home library

The consultation runs until July 18 and you can take part by visiting the council website.

By Jez Hemming – Local Democracy Reporter