Trafford Council has received a number of “expressions of interest” in all three potential outcomes for the future of Hale Library.
A report summing up the findings from the consultation period held in respect of the future of all libraries in the borough will be published tomorrow.
It will reveal that there has been expressions of interest in all three proposals for the Leigh Road facility – the redevelopment of the current site to include a smaller library and residential homes; the development of a new library elsewhere in Hale; and the sale of the current library and replacement with a temporary library for the period up to the opening of the new Altrincham Library in 2017.
Below: Hale Library on Leigh Road
Cllr Alex Williams told Altrincham Today that the council will now be asking for firm bids in respect of all three options, and will be kicking off a formal tendering process. Given the desirability of the library’s central Hale location, it’s likely that there will be considerable interest from residential developers in the site.
The issue will be discussed at a meeting of the Council Executive on March 25th. The tendering process is expected to take several weeks, with the fate of the library to be known by the summer.
A petition set up in support of Hale Library has already attracted over 1,600 signatures.
Friends of Hale Library, who set up the petition, say it is a “well loved and vibrant community asset” and that it has come up with “a long term and financially viable solution” for its future.
Restructuring library services in the borough – in response to government cuts – will save the council £700,000, almost a third of the current library budget. Significant changes are also in the offing for Timperley and Altrincham libraries.
