Large-scale redevelopment planned for British Library site at Boston Spa
Plans to create a ‘modern and sustainable’ home for the UK’S growing national collection at Boston Spa in Yorkshire have been revealed, after planning permission was granted by Leeds City Council
A ‘major construction project’ will transform the 44 acre site, originally a World War II armaments factory, and for the past six decades the northern home of the British Library – into a modern archive capable of storing its growing collection for decades to come. The £95 million Government-funded redevelopment will create extra storage capacity, with further work dedicated to improving facilities for staff and visitors.
The Library’s 44-acre campus near Boston Spa is home to over three quarters of the British Library's growing collection of over 170 million items, including books, sound recordings and maps.
As part of the new development, 220km of extra shelf space will be created in a new high-density, automated storage building. Once complete, visitors will be able to see the inner workings of the storage facility through a new public viewing gallery.