The planning decision for the Carnegie redevelopment has now been published (3 months after the planning meeting).
The notice is here. There is confusion over the space allocated to the library, which is not defined in the plans. We are arguing for the central space to be retained for library use.
Local residents have formed a group to monitor the development and raise any problems it causes with the council. The group can be contacted via the Friends at foclchair@gmail.com.
Having read Lambeth Planning Decision and considering that financial pressure is the council deciding factors, would a more substantially profit making initiative involving plans similar to other old libraries increase chances of success in the residents proposals to the Council? claras@btinternet.com
Financial pressure is not Lambeth’s deciding factor, as the People’s Audit shows. The proposed excavation would wreck the building and garden and be hideously expensive.
As the gym scheme would not contribute anything to maintain the building or sustain the library, but rather make income generation more difficult to achieve, “a more substantially profit making initiative” such as that outlined in the Carnegie Library Association business plan would be much better, and supported by the community.
Not sure which “other old libraries” you mean. Clapham Omnibus is very successful, but no longer a library. We want compatible functions which support the core function of the library.