Geoff Flook, SPRA Chairman, reports …
Continued use of the library building
On 4 Feb 2025 SPRA President Trevor Ashby and I were invited to attend a consultation meeting with Council officials (with three Shirley Councillors in attendance), together with a number of members of the Friends of Shirley Library, aimed at establishing the future use of the Library building for community use.
A meeting of some 20-30 people, was addressed by Simon Bashford Community and Voluntary Sector Manager and Cllr Andy Stranack. There were a significant number of expressions of interest from organisations wishing to lease the building. These had been examined and carefully assessed. Play Place and Asian Resource Centre of Croydon were the two which had scored the highest and these were the Council’s preferred bids. The summary of these bids- which were presented to the meeting- can be found at the end of this statement.
Participants at the meeting were able to give their feedback on the proposals and asked a number of questions.
A panel of Council officials hope to make a final decision about the ‘winning bid’ by the end of February. The meeting stressed the importance of the Council having further contact with local community representatives for their input before that point.
Play Place : A Community Library and Learning Centre which will be a modern hub for learning, connection and empowerment. They will blend traditional library services (books, study spaces, access to digital materials etc) with innovative programmes to broaden the library’s appeal and foster a sense of community ownership. Possible uses envisaged include a creche/baby care space for parents with young children, a small refreshment area or café, bingo, bridge, crochet clubs, after-school clubs and accommodating the groups that used the building previously should they wish to return (which would involve small rent towards running costs).
Asian Resource Centre of Croydon : A community-led/volunteer supported hub open 7 days a week with core services to include education and learning, community outreach, cultural events and celebrations, creative activities, health and wellbeing and library outreach (maintaining some book collections, reading programmes, work with Council’s Outreach Librarian etc). Asian Resource Centre of Croydon wishes to retain 30% of the building for its own offices. The remainder will provide spaces for local businesses, start-ups and non-profits, rentable rooms for workshops, events and co-working opportunities, technology access and training to bridge the digital divide.