People in Knowle face year-long wait for a library after branch shut over safety fears
Talks continue over a temporary replacement for Knowle Library
A South Bristol neighbourhood could go a whole year without a library after the branch inside an abandoned shopping centre closed suddenly.
Efforts to find a temporary location for Knowle Library have dragged on for months, but a replacement branch could open soon.
Knowle Library was based inside the Broadwalk Shopping Centre on Wells Road.
It closed in March because of safety fears.
Developers are planning to knock down the shopping centre and build new homes and shops, with potential space for a new library too.
People in Knowle want clarity
People living in Knowle say Bristol City Council has repeatedly told them a temporary location could be found within a month.
They urged councillors on the public health and communities policy committee to offer clarity on how long readers will have to wait.
Peggy Ralph said: "We're very concerned in Knowle that we now have a gap. If it is in four to six months, it will be a year without a library. Is it a realistic timetable to think that the opening of a temporary library will be within four to six months? We have been to meetings where we're told 'it'll be in a month, it'll be in a month', and here we are six months down the line."
Chloe Somers, in a written statement, added: 'The ongoing closure of the current library, initially due to poor communication around fire safety when the building was bought by new owners, is of huge detriment to the community. I have used the library service not just to borrow books, but during a period of unemployment made use of the computers to help apply for jobs and to print.'
Safety fears and redevelopment
Broadwalk Shopping Centre has gradually been abandoned since councillors approved plans to demolish the building.
The new Redcatch Quarter will include more than 500 homes, and was the subject of a legal battle between developers and people living nearby.
This summer there were reported problems with teenagers breaking in as part of an urban exploration TikTok trend.
It is unclear exactly what the safety fears were which led to the closure of the library branch.
A new temporary location would likely need planning permission, fitting out and repairs.
What the committee chair said
Liberal Democrat councillor Stephen Williams, chair of the public health committee, said: "It's regrettable that we're in this position. At the Broadwalk Shopping Centre most commercial tenants have left and it was thought that the library there would remain open during the period of wind-down before demolition.
"But there have been some safety issues which is why it's been closed. We thought it would be a temporary closure, but we keep being unable to resolve those issues with the owner of the centre. That is - and I will say in public - quite annoying that we're in that position, particularly as we have paid over the years a significant amount of rent and service charges."
The nearby Wick Road Library has extended its opening hours to help people in Knowle left without a branch.
Negotiations are ongoing about finding a temporary location for the library, before the redevelopment at Broadwalk is finished and the new building opens.
Williams added: "We hope those negotiations will be concluded within one month."