£2.3 Million Facelift for Newton Abbot Library

Devon County Council's Cabinet today approved ground breaking plans for a major £2.3 million extension and facelift for Newton Abbot library.

Councillors across political parties welcomed the Cabinet's decision, as Cllr Stuart Barker, who has responsibility for the Council's libraries, said that the improved library will bring huge economic benefit to boost the regeneration of Newton Abbot, providing the stimulus the town needs.

The new library will be one of the first of Devon's new generation of libraries offering a wide range of 21st century services and designed to be a hub for the community.

The current outdated facilities will be extended and redeveloped so that the library stands out as a landmark building in the town centre.

The building will be extended into the existing courtyard to provide additional library space for children, young people and families. The Grade II listed building will be considerably modernised internally to give a fresh, vibrant feel aimed at attracting people of all ages and backgrounds.

Devon County Councillor Stuart Barker, said: "I am very pleased to be able to propose one of the first of Devon’s new generation of libraries in Newton Abbot – our vision for 21st century libraries is to create community buildings that offer so much more than just books and CDs.

"Our aim is to provide great buildings, friendly and knowledgeable staff and excellent facilities that include dedicated spaces for young people, easy access to IT facilities and better space for adult community learning and arts events.

"The current location of the library is ideally suited, but Newton Abbot needs a modern library that will meet the town's expected growth.

"This will be a building for the community, with a range of services possibly including some from District and Town Councils.

"We will be announcing plans to give local people a say about what they want from their new library in the new year, and will focus on making sure that everyone, young and old alike, can give their views about the new library and learning spaces and tell us what they would like to see included."

The building is already one of the busiest adult and community learning centres in the county. The county council wants to improve on this and include studios, teaching space and computer suites in order to deliver high quality courses.

And there will be better storage and display areas for the Railway Studies collection, which is the largest collection of railway studies material outside the National Railway Museum in York.

The whole interior will be designed flexibly to optimise the space for arts and musical events.

Plans could also include the creation of an information access point, to provide information on services provided by County, District and Town Councils.

The county says that a new facility for Newton Abbot is desperately needed because the existing library, which has a poor quality interior, will not be able to meet the demands of the anticipated growth in the Newton Abbot population.

An additional 8,000 homes are proposed for Newton Abbot by 2026, which will substantially increase demand for library and learning facilities. It's estimated demand for adult learning could rise to 5,000 places per year.

Government funding has been allocated to the scheme in recognition of the need to increase the library space for Newton Abbot's growing community.

The library currently receives over 180,000 visits annually, issuing around 160,000 items. It's predicted the new improved library will increase its use and membership by 50% in the first year following reopening. It will mean more people coming into the town centre which will boost local shops.

Local County Councillor for Newton Abbot South, Cllr Gordon Hook, said today: "I welcome the development of this exciting project for the town. It has been on the drawing board for a long time, and I look forward to its completion, opening, and it being fully operational."

The Council anticipates that the library could re-open in summer 201