Sefton Council has issued an update on plans to transform a historic library – and it involves giving the contractor behind its stalled redevelopment a much longer lease than initially agreed.
Cunard Construction Ltd were appointed by Sefton Council last year to renovate the grade II listed Carnegie Library in Crosby, which was closed down amid a round of cuts in 2013.
The building is suffering from severe dry rot and in a state of some decline. The plans, by Cunard Construction Ltd (CCL) would involve transforming the space into a community hub, with offices, bistro and bar.
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After being appointed in 2021, Sefton Council issued an update in March 2022, saying it was “seeking clarification” from CCL following a “period of inactivity.”
The council said it was looking for assurances the project remained “deliverable” after work appeared to have stalled at the site.
In an update released earlier this month, a Sefton Council report recommended extending the lease of the building to CCL from three to 16 years after it told the council it was no longer able to fully fund the work needed due to rising costs linked to covid and building materials.
As a result, the report states, the company have been seeking out additional sources of funding and in recent weeks have been negotiating with a company interested in investing – as long as they are handed a 15 year lease to run part of the building.
The report states that if the council does not agree to extend the lease enable CCL to sublet to the third party, which has not been named, then the company would not be able to proceed with the project.
The report adds: “This would result in the Council continuing to be responsible for the repair and maintenance of the subject property, which it does not have the resources to do.”
The work is expected to be completed within 12 months, according to the new terms and once the renovation has been completed, the council would then hand over a much longer lease to CCL of 124 years.
The decision made by the became effective on September 14 after being published last week, and could move the long anticipated regeneration of an iconic Crosby building one step closer.
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