Kettering library services all set open after relocation to £4.5m Cornerstone gallery extension

Residents will soon be the first users of Kettering’s £4.5m library and gallery extension that will provide a temporary home for lending and community services.

The move into Cornerstone is due to start this month using two public areas – the as-yet-unused cafe and a multi-function space.

Library services will restart under the new roof whilst the old Collyweston stone tiles await repair in a two-year project with an estimated cost of £6.8m.

Children will be able to enjoy group activities and browsing in the ‘cafe’ and other users can access services in the function room overlooking the Manor House Museum.

Cllr Helen Howell (Con, Raunds), NNC’s executive member for leisure and culture, said: “As I have said previously, we fully appreciate the importance of the library, and art gallery, to the residents of Kettering and wider afield and are working as hard as possible to find solutions, which I hope that this move shows.

"But in the long-term, we are doing all we can to ensure that the library services can return to the main building as soon as possible.”

In October, Kettering’s library was closed to the public when masonry fell to the floor from the water-damaged ceiling – all services were relocated for health and safety reasons.

Although water ingress from the leaking library roof is impacting the lower floor of the Cornerstone extension, the upper floor is ‘usable’, with no impact from the rain.

As the long process continues to make the library building watertight, steps will be taken ‘subject to health and safety checks’ to move the library services back into its current home and open Cornerstone in full.

On Thursday (December 7) a full council meeting of NNC will discuss whether to approve the ‘eye-watering’ amount needed to fund the roof replacement.

Once repaired the complex can be used to generate income as bookable spaces and a food outlet.

Library staff will be on-site to offer support and guidance to customers alongside a full range of services – browsing and lending, the book request service, group activities including Rhyme time, warm spaces and drop-ins for bus passes.

Blue badge and bus pass appointments will continue to be offered from NNC’s Bowling Green Road offices for two full days per week.

Further provision including People’s Network computers, free WiFi and printing will be available from a later date.

People wanting to use the library will be signposted to the the fully-accessible entrance via the council car park in London Road.

As part of NNC’s capital budget update for 2023/24 at the council meeting, approval will be sought from councillors for the project to be added to the Capital Programme to fulfil the ruling executive’s ‘long-standing commitment’ to replace the Kettering library roof and to ‘commit’ to repair the roof of the Alfred East Art Gallery.

The meeting will be available for the public to view live at https://www.youtube.com/@NNCDemServices, starting at 6pm.

Cornerstone had originally been due to open in January 2023 after work, interrupted by supply issues, began in July 2021.