Bucks County Council to reconsider plans for the future of Winslow Library

Last week Bucks County Council announced plans to demolish the town's community library building as part of a redevelopment of the Winslow Centre site.

Winslow Town Council then called an emergency meeting to discuss the issue and at the meeting a motion was passed calling on the county council to retain the existing library facility when the rest of the buildings on the site are demolished.

The motion also suggested alternative options including the retention of the current facility for use as a community library permanently or until a permanent replacement building is provided.

In a joint statement Gareth Williams, the county council's cabinet member for community engagement and public health and John Chilver, the county council's cabinet member for resources say: "Following last week's extraordinary meeting of Winslow Town Council, we have jointly agreed to relook at our initial proposals.

"While demolition of all the buildings together and using a high-quality temporary building to house the community library closer to the site entrance was a sensible and workable option, we have taken into account the strong views expressed by the town council.

"As a result, we will now also be looking at an additional option which could retain the current library building for the time being without the need for its demolition.

"Subject to costs and other practicalities, this option will form part of the overall Winslow Centre development business case to be considered by cabinet.

"We absolutely recognise the library as an important local asset and the firm proposals for it to be Buckinghamshire Council's new community access point for the Winslow area from April 1 next year confirms that fact.

"To further reinforce our commitment, we have exciting plans for the regeneration of the site over the longer term for the benefit of everyone in the Winslow area.

"These proposals include new residential and extra care housing, open space provision, community use buildings and of course a brand new state-of-the-art library for everyone to use and enjoy.

"Of course in the longer term, if the new development goes ahead, we will need to demolish the library before we construct the new building, so there will always be a time when the library will need to move out of its current location and alternative arrangements provided."