Whitchurch Library to open inside former Woolworths shop - here's when
Shropshire Council has announced when Whitchurch's new library premises will open to the public inside St Mary's Arcade.
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The library, which will be based inside a former Woolworths shop - Unit C - will open to visitors on Thursdays and Fridays to begin with, from Thursday, February 13.
Shropshire Council said longer opening hours are expected from March this year.
Whitchurch Library was closed when reinforced autoclaved aerated concrete (RAAC) was identified in part of the town's Civic Centre complex in 2023.
Shropshire Council is to set aside £4m to carry out repairs and put a new roof on the building which has been partly closed since the discovery.
The money could also be used as 'match funding' for a complete re-build of the site.
The county council’s Cabinet will be asked on February 12 to identify up to £4m within its capital strategy towards the repair or rebuilding of Whitchurch Civic Centre.
Since the library's closure, interim arrangements have been in place inside The Civic Centre's sports hall, in the form of a book pick-up and drop off service.
Shropshire Council said Unit C inside St Mary's Arcade is now a "modern and accessible arcade featuring a variety of retail units", and is "well located" inside the town.
The new premises is a temporary solution while the council continues to explore options for a permanent library location, alongside considerations for the future of the civic centre.
Shropshire Council’s Cabinet Member for culture, leisure and digital, Councillor Robert Macey said: "We are in the final stages of setting up the new library space in St Mary’s Arcade and are greatly looking forward to welcoming visitors from the middle of February.
"Thank you to the Whitchurch library staff for keeping the service going at the sports hall, and for Whitchurch residents who have been supportive whilst the search was underway."
Local Councillors for Whitchurch added through a joint statement: "We would like to thank the whole team involved with getting a library back in our town. Our residents will be really pleased that this valuable resource will back on the high street once again, the driver we have all been working towards."
