Borough bucks national trend - new library planned for Boyn Grove

Against a national backdrop of library closures, the Royal Borough is bucking the trend with the announcement that a new library is to be built to serve north-west Maidenhead.

The news came at last night's Council meeting (Tuesday 22 February) when Cllr Simon Dudley, Cabinet Member for Adult and Community Services, revealed that plans are being made for the borough's 13th library at Boyn Grove, next to the brand new community resource centre which is due to open in May.

Cllr Dudley said: "We believe libraries are essential community hubs that should not only be protected for the benefit of our residents but developed to ensure that this invaluable service is available at convenient locations for everyone.

"While other local authorities are closing libraries, the Royal Borough is responding to residents' wishes and opening new ones, including the expansion of the school/community library on the Smiths Lane site in Windsor.

"Our libraries are already open for longer and, with more volunteer participation, we aim to increase opening hours, provide a wider range of services and give local people who have particular skills and talents the opportunity to share them with other people through library volunteering."

Cllr Dudley revealed the library would be staffed with the help of community volunteers and people with a learning disability through the Ways into Work programme.

The new library plan has attracted praise from Ed Vaizey, Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, who said: "The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead have shown a real commitment to providing public library services based around the needs of local residents. They have shown that, through using new technology and with the support and involvement of the community, it's possible not just to improve but to expand library services.

"This is a tangible example of how the Big Society can work in practice, giving local people more control over their local libraries and harnessing their enthusiasm to run services alongside council staff."

The capital cost of providing the £400,000 library will come from some of the funds raised by the future sale of the Castle Hill site - former home of Castle Hill Youth and Community Centre - which has moved to refurbished and extended premises at 4 Marlow Road. The running costs will come from the savings the council is making from withdrawing its membership of the Local Government Association, which members believe does not offer value for money for the council's work on behalf of local residents.

Cllr Dudley added: "We believe council taxpayers' money will be better spent investing in community services."

In a former assessment of how close local people live to their local library, the north-west of Maidenhead was identified as an area where a relatively larger number of residents had further to travel.

Around 13,000 households will be within one mile of the new library and an estimated 31,000 residents live within that distance. While there will be some overlap with Maidenhead Central and Cox Green library catchments there will be around 9,500 people who will be much closer to a library - particularly important for older and younger residents who are more reliant on walking or cycling to local facilities. The new library site also has a bus stop on Courthouse Road for those travelling by public transport.

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