New library plans revealed
EXCITING plans for a new library to service the needs of Birkby and Fartown residents has been revealed.
The Birkby and Fartown Library in Wasp Nest Road, Birkby, which was attached to Birkby Junior School, closed more than 18 months ago to allow more children to be taught.
But now Kirklees Council has submitted plans for a new dedicated library to serve the local area – complete with a new community garden.
The proposed site in Lea Street, Birkby, has a history of anti-social behaviour and it’s hoped the introduction of a local centre will limit further issues.
The building will take a piece of land classed as a greenway while the cycle path will be diverted and maintained. Trees lost will be reintroduced in a new planting scheme.
It is envisaged that 98 per cent of all visitors to the library will arrive on foot and will be from the immediate local areas of Birkby and Fartown.
This was generally the case for the previous community centre library, which had no dedicated parking facilities.
The new development will have one staff member and will not require dedicated parking.
Clr Bernard McGuin, who lives in Marsh and who expressed concerns over the closure of the previous library, said: “In general it makes sense to have a library in a deprived area like this as the library service has evolved into being a community hub, a meeting place for community groups and services that is openly accessible.”
And his colleague, Clr Carole Pattison, who represents the Birkby area, added: “We are really looking forward to the opening of the new library facilities. We will have an improved, purposedesigned library when it opens and we have great new facilities in the school so it’s a win-win all round.”