People living in and around Bungay can now benefit from a larger and improved entrance and foyer at the library.
Substantial building and improvement work at Bungay Community Library has been carried out to make the library more welcoming and accessible for the whole community.
The library will be closing for a few days in March to enable some final decoration work and new furniture to be installed along with a new ‘privacy pod’ for meetings.
The project has been carried out by local builders, Sprake and Tyrell, thanks to funding from the Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) via East Suffolk Council, £39,000 raised by The Friends of Bungay Library with support from local charities, in addition to £70,000 from Suffolk County Council.
The work has been ongoing over the past year and has involved totally reshaping the entrance area to the library by creating a new foyer area with automatic doors. This now provides better access for older or disabled customers and those with prams or buggies. Sheltered canopy areas also provide ‘parking’ for prams and buggies, freeing up space inside the library.
There is also a storage facility for chairs, folding tables and other equipment making it easier to set up the main library space for meetings and activities. This will enable the library to host more events in future.
The new Privacy Pod will also be used by Barclays Bank for their customer drop-in sessions at the library and will be available for others to use when they want a quiet meeting space.
The new foyer also offers a better view to the library garden which is an accessible and attractive green space for everyone to enjoy. The plans also make the library more energy efficient with much improved insulation and energy saving lighting.
Christine Douglas, the Chair of the Friends of Bungay Library, said:
“We have been planning this project for some time and we are delighted that soon it will finally be completed with much improved access and a range of extra facilities for the community to enjoy. We are sure the new seating and display spaces, as well as the private meeting area, will be popular additions to the many amenities previously offered.
“We are very grateful to all the local charities and the individuals who have generously supported us with funding. Thanks must also go to the library staff who have maintained an excellent service through a spell of significant disruption while the work was carried out.”
Amanda King, Executive Library Manager and Manager of Bungay Community Library, added:
“It has been wonderful to see the new look library take shape. The new space will give us the opportunity to display more information to help people with their health and wellbeing and the addition of automatic doors will help us provide an even better and more accessible service for local residents.”
Councillor Philip Faircloth-Mutton Suffolk County Council Cabinet Member for Environment, Communities and Equality said:
"We are pleased to support the improvements at Bungay Community Library, which will enhance accessibility and provide valuable new facilities for the local community. It's great to see this project come to fruition with such positive benefits for residents."
The library will be closed from Monday 17 to Thursday 20 March, reopening on the Friday. Any loans due back during this time will have their return dates extended and people are welcome to use Beccles or Halesworth libraries during the closure.
