St Annes library set to re-open after work

St Annes Library is poised to reopen next week after more than 18 months, to the relief and delight of its most loyal users.
By The Newsroom
Published 27th Feb 2019, 11:26 BST
Updated 27th Feb 2019, 12:29 BST
St Annes librarySt Annes library
St Annes library

The Friends of St Annes Library group has been in abeyance since the Grade II-listed building was forced to close its doors in August 2017 after plaster fell from the ceiling.

That incident came just months after uncertainty over the library’s future amid a wave of threatened cuts to library services.

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A later survey of the building revealed the need for extensive specialist repair work, including to the masonry, windows, 1930s extension foundations, roof trusses, and cupola.

It is set to be re-opened at 9am on Monday by County Coun Peter Buckley, Lancashire County Council’s cabinet member responsible for libraries, and his fellow St Annes county councillor Ed Nash.

Annette Ford (pictured inset), who chaired the Friends of St Annes Library (FOSAL) at the time of the closure, said: “We are delighted the library is re-opening at last.

“We’ve been through a very unsettled couple of years, firstly not knowing if the library would be saved, and then with the closure for repairs.

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”We’re hoping to get FOSAL up and running again as soon as possible, starting with a working party to get the garden tidied, with the help of St 
Annes In Bloom.

“We’re also hoping lots of people will come to see the library and join the Friends group, support the activities we’ll be arranging, and/or join the committee to help organise and run things.”

County Coun Buckley added: “The work required to a building of this age and nature has proved both time intensive and complex due to the very specific requirements. When re-opened, we will have a fantastic library to serve St Annes residents for many decades to come.”