Council appoints contractor for £6.8m Cornerstone library and art gallery roof replacement project

The complex comprising Kettering Public Library and the Alfred East Art Gallery – also known as ‘Cornerstone’ – needs major repairs to its Collyweston slate roof.

Problems have dogged the extension so far costing £4.5m – rain has been leaking through broken tiles and joins where the new extension to the Alfred East Art Gallery was added.

NNC has appointed Messenger, based in the Northants village of Collyweston, as the contractor to complete the roof replacement works.

Cllr Helen Howell, NNC’s deputy leader and executive member for sport, leisure, culture and tourism, said: “It is great news that we have appointed Messenger to complete the roof replacement works - they are a very experienced local company and have worked on many projects similar in nature to our roof replacement project.

“But no two projects are the same and we’ll now be working with Messenger on the details and the final timeline for the project to ensure that the works are completed as quickly as possible and within the budget that has been allocated.

“Claude N. Smith, who are mining and supplying the slates, are on schedule for delivery and planning permission has been approved, we are just working on the schedule of works. I am really looking forward to seeing work commence on site now the procurement process has been completed.

“Residents should be assured that all parties are working towards opening Cornerstone in full as soon as is physically possible.”

Messenger have a wealth of experience working on listed buildings and in laying Collyweston slates on sites including Royal Hospital Chelsea and Leicester Cathedral.

Now that a contractor has been appointed, physical work can be planned and will be able to begin on site using a mixture of new, and where possible, reclaimed Collyweston slates on the roof.

Paul Gibbons, Messenger MD, said: “Our team worked incredibly hard to present a competitive and thorough bid, and therefore we are delighted and privileged to have been awarded the contract to re-roof the historic roof on the Cornerstone building in Kettering.

“The careful stripping and re-slating of Collyweston stone roofs is a delicate process, and we are honoured to contribute to the preservation of such an iconic building in North Northamptonshire.

"This project will further provide a great opportunity for younger members of our team to develop and learn from our more experienced stone slaters."

Officers from the council will now work with Messenger to confirm the detailed timeline for the next phases of the project and this timeline will be published ‘as soon as possible’.

In December 2024, planning permission and listed building consent were granted for the project.

Cornerstone Timeline

2018 – Kettering Borough Council (KBC), owners of Kettering Museum and the Alfred East Art Gallery, and Northamptonshire County Council (NCC), owners of Kettering Library, start discussions setting out the long-term desire to ‘improve and maximise the potential’ of the gallery, library and museum and their services

2019 – More than 700 people respond to a survey about the town’s heritage quarter

2019 – KBC commits funds to pay for a feasibility study by heritage development, funding and planning experts Colliers International

2019 – Funding application is submitted to South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership Local (SEMLEP) Growth Fund resulting in the the ‘GLaM’ successfully being identified as a ‘pipeline project’ – recognised within the region for its ‘strategic importance’ and ‘deliverability’

July 2020 – Working alongside SEMLEP the GLaM project is submitted as part of a regional bid to the Government to access Getting Building Fund money

August 2020 – The now-defunct KBC secures £3m from the Getting Building Fund, administered by SEMLEP

September 2020 – A multi-disciplinary project team including an architectural specialist expands on the initial design ideas with ‘must haves’

October 2020 – Planning application relating to external build is submitted. Key stakeholder engagement begins

January 2021 – Planning permission is approved. Of the £3m grant and further £640,000 from KBC reserves and £300,000 from NCC, a total of £867,000 is earmarked for internal refurbishment of the library, another £300,000 on a new roof. £1.6m is to be spent on the extension to the art gallery with another £163,000 spent on an internal renovation

February 2021 – Trees are felled and relocated to make way for the building work

April 2021 – NCC and KBC cease to exist with North Northants Council taking on their place in the project

May 2021 – Design completed. Library closes temporarily and art treasures put into storage off-site

June 2021 – Enabling works begin with the demolition of outbuildings close to the site

July 2021 – Construction begins and is scheduled to take 12 months. The library partially re-opens to public March 2022 – GLaM name dropped and replaced with ‘Cornerstone’ causing uproar. Councillors release a further £75,000 from the NNC's capital funds because the scheme is running over-budget

July 2022 – Another £412,000 is released by NNC to ensure the project continues – ‘soft opening’ of Cornerstone planned for January 2023

February 2023 – Cornerstone signs goes up but no opening

March 2023 – Problems with the building are highlighted and dubbed ‘a complete disaster’.

October 2023 – The library is closed after plaster falls from the ceiling.

November 2023 – The library service is moved to the new extension.

January 2024 – Budget of £6.8m agreed as NNC announces the delivery phase of the roof replacement project.

March 2024 – Ivy and creepers on Cornerstone removed.

December 2024 – Planning permission and listed building consent were granted for the project.

February 2025 – Messenger appointed as contractors

The library continues to be temporarily relocated into the upper floor of the modern extension of Cornerstone for the ‘foreseeable future’.