'Huge milestone' for £6.8m Kettering Library roof replacement project as planning permission granted

The library and art gallery roof on the complex known as Cornerstone has been leaking for more than three years with rainwater pouring through ceilings due to broken slates and from where the new extension to the Alfred East Art Gallery was added.

Now that permissions have been granted, approval is being will be sought from Natural England to confirm that bat protection measures are appropriate.

Cllr Helen Howell, North Northants Council’s deputy leader and executive member for sport, leisure, culture and tourism, said: “This is a huge milestone for the roof replacement project, now we have the correct planning permission in place, which met the qualifying criteria to be granted under the council’s scheme of delegation.

"This means that once a contractor has been appointed through a thorough and compliant tender process, physical work can start on site as soon as possible.

"With the contractor appointed, we will work with them to produce a full timeline for the works and residents can be assured that that timeline will be published, once it is agreed.

“In the meantime, we remain committed to being as transparent as possible and, as I have said previously, we are going through a full procurement exercise to ensure that the most suitable contractor completes the work for well within the budget we have set aside - a budget which is very much a worst-case scenario and includes a 20per cent contingency.”

A contractor is expected to be appointed in early 2025 and physical work will be able to begin on site, using the Collyweston slate that has been agreed – following discussions with conservation experts and advice from Historic England.

While the applications have been going through the planning process, North Northants Council has also been going through a full tender process for the works through the Gov.uk contract finder.

Original repair plans had included proposals to tent the whole building to help keep the building watertight before works could start.

But the council will now take a ‘revised approach’. Temporary repairs to stop leaks have taken place and the roof is being ‘monitored’ with further repairs being undertaken ‘where necessary’.

It is hoped the new approach will result in a ‘significant cost’ saving in the overall project budget.

Tenting will take place once roofing works begin and tiles start to be removed. Internal scaffolding within the original library space will mean library services will continue to be temporarily relocated into the upper floor of the modern extension of Cornerstone for the ‘foreseeable future’.

Cllr Jason Smithers, leader of North Northants Council, added: “Cornerstone is an extremely complex project and we remain committed to ensuring the building is maintained and fit for purpose for future generations.

“We continue to work as quickly as possible so the site can re-open and the planning application being approved is a great leap forward for the project.”

Planning decision notices for the works can be found on the council’s planning portal under application numbers NK/2024/0376 and NK/2024/0377.