Council plans to revitalise Hexagon and Central Library
READING Borough Council has revealed proposals to revitalise the town’s cultural offering by transforming the Hexagon Theatre and building a new Central Library.
The plans were released on Tuesday, June 28, and the council is now set to submit a £20 million bid to the Government for “Levelling Up” funding.
Cllr Jason Brock, leader of Reading Borough Council, said: “Both the Hexagon Theatre and Reading Central Library are major institutions in our town which continue to be very wellused and extremely popular.
“I think most people would agree with me, however, when I say that both buildings are dated and present limitations to improving our future cultural and learning offer to local residents.
“If we are successful in our bid, it will offer us a once-ina-generation opportunity to revitalise and breathe new life into the cultural and learning offer in this part of Reading.”
The council’s bid is made up of an £8 million investment to rebuild the Central Library at the Council’s Civic Offices in Bridge Street.
This would involve a brandnew custom-built Central Library, added to the current Civic Offices site, which would create a “modern and open space, offering a much-improved, accessible environment for everyone”.
The council’s ambition is to to create a flexible space for the whole community that embraces traditional book loans and looks to the future with digital and learning offerings.
A further £12 million investment would revitalise The Hexagon Theatre to create an “attractive, flexible and exciting new space for performances and community use”.
The proposal is to extend to the right-hand side of the existing building, with an entrance directly off Queens Walk, offering improved accessibility and new multifunction community space that can accommodate a wider variety of performances and uses.
If the council’s bid is successful, this will form the first phase of a longer-term regeneration of the Hexagon.
The Hexagon development feeds into the council’s wider plans to create the Minster Quarter, transforming an area of the town centre by building hundreds of new homes.
Both proposals focus on improved sustainability as part of the council’s commitment to working towards a net-zero carbon Reading by 2030.
The council’s bid is to the government’s Round 2 Levelling Up Fund and, if successful, would be match-funded 10% by the council from its own capital investment fund.
A bid is set to be submitted in July, with news of whether it has been successful expected in autumn 2022.
Green councillor Rob White, leader of the second largest party on Reading Council, said: “Over recent years Labour councillors have cut money to libraries and neglected The Hexagon.
“My initial reaction is that I am pleased to see a plan for some investment.
“However it’s not just the central library that needs investment it’s the branch libraries as well such as Palmer Park which is only open twoand-a-half days per week.”
Cllr Meri O’Connell, leader of the Reading Liberal Democrats, said: “We’ve known that the Hexagon is long past it’s sell by date and that regeneration of the theatre and the area is long overdue.”
She felt atht the investment would be worthwhile to make Reading a destination town.
“We need a showcase theatre that will attract the big shows from the West End,” she said.
“It’ll provide employment to an industry that suffered much harder than most due to the covid shutdowns.
“Once built there will be benefits to local hotels and restaurants from people making a proper visit to the town.”
She added: “We need reassurance that the changes won’t lead to any increase in ticket prices for shows and events and that the new facilities are built to the highest standards for accessibility.
“We would also want reassurances that library space will not be downsized.
“Reading has a real lack of quiet spaces where people can go and read or study, we would want to see consideration of this in any plans.”
And the Leader of Reading Borough Council’s Conservative
Group, Cllr Clarence Mitchell said: “The Hexagon is such an integral part of the fabric of our town centre, one that continues to give Reading a national profile, particularly amongst the legions of snooker fans who’ve watched the televised games from there in the past.
“After some 50 years, its distinctive architecture is clearly showing its age, so it’s only right that this bid for Government funding is made to help regenerate it for the next 50.
“For the Central Library, modernised physical and digital access is a vital improvement for our town’s cultural services, provided that the new building is created sympathetically and does not impinge on the provision of current RBC services at the Civic.
“This is ‘levelling up’ for everyone in Reading that we welcome and we will urge the Government to view the RBC bid positively.”