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Green light given for town’s former library to become apartments and bar/restaurant
By Kerry Ashdown | Stafford | News | Published: Less than an hour ago
Book lovers could bag a new home in a town’s former library after plans to covert the iconic building into apartments and a restaurant received a favourable review from councillors.
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The box in which we keep our fools
The Old Library at The Green dates back to 1914 and is Grade II Listed. But in more recent years it has been vacant – and its condition has “notably deteriorated”, leading to a place in the Victorian Society’s annual Top 10 Endangered Buildings list in 2016.
The library closed in 1998 and the building – which was partially funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie – was later used as the Stafford Performing Arts Centre. It was sold off by Staffordshire County Council several years ago.
A group known as Friends of the Carnegie Old Library Stafford had hoped to reopen the building as a community arts, wellbeing and cultural venue and launched a campaign to buy it.
But now the building is set to house 10 one bedroom apartments and a bar/restaurant. Eight apartments are earmarked for the first floor, with the remaining two on the ground floor alongside the proposed new venue.
Ward councillor Chris Baron highlighted the lack of parking facilities and loading area however. Stafford Borough Council also received six letters from members of the public raising similar concerns.
But they granted permission for the change of use.
By Kerry Ashdown | Stafford | News | Published: Less than an hour ago
Book lovers could bag a new home in a town’s former library after plans to covert the iconic building into apartments and a restaurant received a favourable review from councillors.
Subscribe to our daily newsletter
The box in which we keep our fools
The Old Library at The Green dates back to 1914 and is Grade II Listed. But in more recent years it has been vacant – and its condition has “notably deteriorated”, leading to a place in the Victorian Society’s annual Top 10 Endangered Buildings list in 2016.
The library closed in 1998 and the building – which was partially funded by philanthropist Andrew Carnegie – was later used as the Stafford Performing Arts Centre. It was sold off by Staffordshire County Council several years ago.
A group known as Friends of the Carnegie Old Library Stafford had hoped to reopen the building as a community arts, wellbeing and cultural venue and launched a campaign to buy it.
But now the building is set to house 10 one bedroom apartments and a bar/restaurant. Eight apartments are earmarked for the first floor, with the remaining two on the ground floor alongside the proposed new venue.
Ward councillor Chris Baron highlighted the lack of parking facilities and loading area however. Stafford Borough Council also received six letters from members of the public raising similar concerns.
But they granted permission for the change of use.
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