Sefton Council’s Cabinet members are being asked to back plans for a new shared Library, Health and Wellbeing facility in Crosby Village.

Easily accessible

Located on the site of The Green car park, the £13.8 million Crosby New Library would be easily accessible by bus and rail,  and easy to reach for pedestrians and cyclist as well as car users.

Strong interest has been shown by the Primary Care Network and local GP providers, in using a shared site, which would also contribute to the vitality of the village centre.

The new building will provide an opportunity to develop a purpose-built library that reflects the changing needs of the library users as well as accommodating vital services for the local community, in a convenient location.

Great opportunity

Cllr Trish Hardy, Sefton Council’s Cabinet Member for Communities and Housing said: “Although they still stock a huge number of physical books, these days Sefton’s libraries also provide a wide range of other services, including free Wi-Fi, computer and Internet access, newspapers, talking books and CDs, as well as events for children parents and carers.

“These plans represent a great opportunity to create a new library that reflects what people want in a location that is easy for them to reach.”

This new facility would replace Crosby’s existing Library and Civic Hall, which would need major refurbishment to ensure they remain usable and to meet the Council’s Climate Emergency objectives.

Regeneration

Under the proposals being presented to Cabinet, the site would be redeveloped as an opportunity for housing-led regeneration with new homes and other potential uses. A Planning Brief that would deliver positive outcome for the local community has been developed for the site.

New accommodation for health services would overcome the concern about existing facilities in the area and would provide space for expansion and integration. It would house a range of health-commissioned services along with wider social prescribing models.

Work to develop the new library and health facilities in Crosby have been carried out alongside the Council’s two bids for Levelling Up Funding for the Village which were turned down by the Government.

A significant level of local and stakeholder consultation has taken place in connection with the proposals the development has also been informed by the Sefton Public Engagement and Consultation Panel. An online questionnaire was produced, newsletters distributed locally and stakeholder engagement workshops were held along with a public exhibition.

These proposals reflect the supportive feedback received. Further consultation will take place through the next stages of the design and delivery process.

Business Case

At next week’s meeting Cabinet members will be asked to note the Outline Business Case for Crosby New Library, the estimated £13.8 million capital cost of the  preferred scheme and the £1.02 million revenue cost for design.

Next steps would be the development of a Full Business Case, final design and final costs to be brought to a future Council Cabinet meeting for approval.

State-of-the-art

Cllr Hardy added: “As well as providing a state-of-the-art library and health facility for local people, Crosby New Library will also provide a boost to the village by increasing footfall and resulting economic activity.

“I am confident my Cabinet colleagues will back this excellent scheme.”

You can use this link to find the agenda and papers for the Sefton Council Cabinet meeting, which takes place at 10am on Thursday 25th May.