Question
I have emailed you twice to ask about the decision making around the proposed relocation of Wokingham library but am asking this question as I have had no response.
In considering this issue did you look at the Impact Assessment that has a plan that fails to show the full location of the existing library and adjacent parking? In the Relocation Engagement feedback there were no comments supporting the move and no responses were made to customers who criticised the move.
To a comment about there being existing plans for the current library site to be sold for residential purposes there is no response.
How can any rational decision be made with these questions unanswered?
Minutes:
Question
I have emailed you twice to ask about the decision making around the proposed relocation of Wokingham library but am asking this question as I have had no response.
In considering this issue did you look at the Impact Assessment that has a plan that fails to show the full location of the existing library and adjacent parking? In the Relocation Engagement feedback there were no comments supporting the move and no responses were made to customers who criticised the move.
To a comment about there being existing plans for the current library site to be sold for residential purposes there is no response. How can any rational decision be made with these questions unanswered?
Answer
The decision to relocate Wokingham Library to the Carnival Phase 2 site when it opens in 2021 was taken because of the many benefits it provides to the people who regularly make use of its services and the potential to increase its usage by locating the library with the new leisure centre and the wider Elms Field development.
The issues and questions surrounding the proposed relocation have been explored extensively by the Council through the large number of questions submitted to the Executive at its March 2017 meeting, the subsequent Call-In to the Scrutiny Committee of the decision and through the range of engagement activities that publicised the proposals and encouraged feedback. Within these considerations, the current location and adjacent parking were reviewed and considered in detail. The Executive Report and the Impact Assessment make clear reference to the advantages of the new site being on one level and to the access to the library, including the access from the new car park, also being both flat and level.
Despite the number of press releases, press articles and engagement activities about the proposed relocation, the number of actual responses and comments was very low. This is in stark contrast to the library consultation that was conducted last year, where a large number of respondents from the Wokingham town area expressed their support for the co-location of libraries with leisure and other popular services.
Finally, I would like to confirm that there are no existing plans for how the existing Wokingham Library site will be used after the relocation in 2021.
Supplementary Question
That is an interesting answer to some of the points I raised. You are confirming, basically, that the report presented was deficient in a number of ways. The map was not complete and you make no response in your decision about the site. My concern is a general concern about the way the Borough Council makes decisions. My supplementary question relates to the Council’s reputation for secrecy, for example in relation to Grazeley. At the last meeting you also considered a report about a property adjacent to the regeneration site which may have been Marks and Spencer.
The last part of my question refers to the current library site and asks about its sale for residential purposes. Following the decision to relocate Wokingham Library, surveyors were seen on the current library site. I would like to know if there any specific plans for this site?
Answer provided by Charlotte Haitham Taylor
This is addressed in the final part of the answer. There are no current plans relating to the future of the existing Wokingham Library site.