St Annes library to reopen next month

It will be available for use again from March 4 at 9am following the completion of extensive specialist repair work which has followed its sudden closure 18 months ago.

The library will be reopened jointly by County Coun Peter Buckley, cabinet member for community and cultural services and County Coun Ed Nash.

The repairs have been ongoing since August 2017 after some plaster fell from the ceiling which meant the library had to be closed for safety reasons.

As the library is more than 110 years old and Grade II-listed, specialist heritage surveyors had to be brought in to support county surveyors.

Areas where work has been carried out include the masonry, windows, foundations to the 1930s extension, weather sealing, roof trusses and the cupola.

County Coun Buckley said: “I am absolutely delighted that our much-treasured Carnegie Library will be reopening again very soon.

“This has been a massive job with many specialists involved and when opened we will have a fantastic library that will serve St Annes residents for many decades to come.

“The work required to a building of this age and nature has proved to be both time intensive and complex due to the very specific requirements and thanks to all involved.

“The contractors have now finished on site and handed the building back to the county council to re-shelve over 11,000 books and configure the new PCs.

“In addition, the local history collection will be in place and we will continue to provide newspapers and access to comprehensive online reference materials.”

Opening hours will be 9am -5pm five days a week and 9am to 7pm Thursdays.