Work starts at Kettering library and art gallery to remove creeper and ivy from historic Cornerstone complex

Work to remove vegetation which is causing damage to Kettering Library has started as part of the long-term project to re-open the Grade II-listed Cornerstone complex.

Plants including ivy and Virginia Creeper have covered many of the exterior walls and the roof of the library and next door Alfred East Art Gallery.

The plants have been growing through the building’s windows and roof, causing damage to the already-leaking building.

A project with an ‘eye-watering’ budget of £6.8m to mend the leaky roof has now entered the ‘delivery’ phase of preparation work and surveys before scaffolding and the tenting of the roof begins.

Cllr Helen Howell, North Northamptonshire Council’s (NNC) deputy leader and executive member for culture, said last month the ivy on the outside of the building was ‘causing damage’ and had been advised the vegetation should be removed.

The Virginia Creeper had been directly affecting the dispersal of rainwater system, a major factor in the recent issues with the leaking roof.

Kettering’s £4.5m Cornerstone extension partially opened to the public nearly two years late, with the lending service working from the new building.

Conditions in the existing library had become so dangerous and dire that staff were left dodging parts of the ceiling that had collapsed into the public area.

NNC will start works to fully remove all the vegetation and clean up the exterior of the Grade II-listed building, to ‘prevent further damage’ and ‘reduce maintenance costs in the long term’, while allowing for the ‘historical architecture of the building to be visible’.

Tree canopies around the building have already been raised to prevent further damage to existing roof slates.

The works are taking place in March to avoid the ‘removal of plants later in the year’ when they would be ‘denser’.

In February Cllr Jason Smithers, leader of NNC, said: “As a council, we have to ensure that all the buildings we own, including Kettering Library, are maintained and will stand the test of time.

“Although the plants may aesthetically add to the character of the building, they are damaging the wider building. We also must consider the long-term costs of maintaining the vegetation.

“With all this in mind and having consulted with specialists, the decision has been taken to remove the vegetation.”