Central Library is still under threat of being moved from its historic home on College Green despite a U-turn by mayor Marvin Rees, council leaders admit. Bristol City Council cabinet member for communities Cllr Ellie King refused to rule out a relocation after this year, saying the Grade I-listed building was not fit for purpose to hold money-making events and that libraries should be seen as “a service, not a building”.
She said Broadmead would be a better base for the city’s main library because it had bus links from more diverse parts of the city and that the streets around College Green were “quite an exclusive shopping area, so it attracts a certain cohort of people”. Cllr King also revealed that its current home faced “huge building costs” which would “escalate”.
Plans to move Central Library were raised in the Bristol mayor’s annual draft budget in November but then scrapped following an outcry. The original proposals included £1.4million cuts to the library service as the local authority faces a huge funding gap.
