Filed under: latest news
Blackhorse Action Group (BAG) and St James Street Library Campaign have been shortlisted for a grant from the National Endowment for Science, Technology and the Arts!
More than 600 community groups applied for NESTA’s 10 Neighbourhood Challenge grants. Only 40 have made it through to the next round.
The NESTA shortlisting is a terrific achievement, and it shows how strongly we made our case. We’ve not only shown that our community needs the library building. We’ve also proved that we have the ideas, energy and expertise to make a success of it.
It’s the second exciting piece of news this month, in our efforts to bring the former St James Street Library back into community use.
BAG – the residents’ association covering the area – had a meeting in October with Cllr Afzal Akram, who is in charge of Waltham Forest council’s properties and was planning to put the closed library up for auction. We persuaded him to give us a little time to find an alternative. Then we sent out a call for a public-spirited tenant or buyer to take over the building and let us use part of it. Our call was answered by Alert Ltd, the owners of Community Place in Leyton.
Alert Ltd have approached the council to lease the building for at least five years, sub-letting to community groups and charities. So we already have a chance to be back in the building early next year.
As long as the council accepts Alert’s offer, we’ll be able to work on creating a new community space in the St James Street building.
And the NESTA funding, if we get it, will help to bring it back to life as the heart of the community.
Background
St James Street Library, in Coppermill Lane, Walthamstow, was closed in April 2007. It was scheduled to be sold at auction. A huge local campaign sprang up to reopen the library – the only community facility for everyday in use in a deprived area. Although Waltham Forest council has ruled out reopening a library, it has recently started talks with local people who want it reopened as a community space.
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URGENT – please lobby your councillor to rent St James Street Library instead of selling it! And please forward this to your networks and anyone else who may support us.
The owners of Community Place in Leyton have put in a bid to rent the former St James Street Library for five years, sub-letting to community and charitable groups.
Waltham Forest council has long refused to reopen the public library. But we’ve persuaded them to consider renting the building out instead of selling it to a developer. The Community Place tenancy would keep the building in public hands and give us our best chance of creating a community space there
Please ask your councillor to support the proposal from Community Place, and let your MP know your concern too.
There’s not much time before the council plans to auction the building, so please write them an email or letter (details below) and show them that we still care about St James Street. We’ve suggested some wording, but feel free to use your own.
Thank you,
St James Street Library Campaign
Dear Councillor
I have heard with interest that the St James Street Library building has received a bid to be rented on a long-term lease to Community Place, who propose to sublet it to charitable and community groups, with office space and space for the arts. This gives the community in the western end of the High Street a chance to have the community space that it so desperately needs, and provides a much needed boost to the regeneration of the area.
I urge you to support this bid, instead of letting the building go to auction. A private developer may turn it into flats (causing further overcrowding without infrastructure) or leave it derelict until the property market strengthens, blighting the community.
The Community Place proposal could be a win-win for the Council and the people of the St James Street and Coppermill Area.
Please inform me of how you intend to vote on the proposal. I look forward to your response.
Look up your local Councillor and contact details here:
http://www1.walthamforest.gov.uk/moderngov/mgMemberIndex.aspx?FN=WARD&VW=LIST&PIC=0
Find your MP here:
You can write to all councillors at:
Waltham Forest Town Hall, Forest Road, Walthamstow, London E17 4JF.
If you email them, please copy in the following people:
Cllr. Chris Robbins, Leader of the Council,
Cllr Afzal Akram, Cabinet Member for Corporate Resources (including property)
Cllr.afzal.akram@walthamforest.gov.uk
Cllr Geraldine Reardon, Cabinet Member for Leisure, Arts and Culture,
cllr.geraldine.reardon@walthamforest.gov.uk
Martin Esom Chief Executive, martin.esom@walthamforest.gov.uk
Mimi Konigsberg, Executive Director, Adults and Community Services,
mimi.konigsberg@walthamforest.gov.uk
Clive Morton, Head of Cultural Services, clive.morton@walthamforest.gov.uk
Lorna Lee, Head of Libraries, Museum, Gallery and Archives,
lorna.lee@walthamforest.gov.uk
Shifa Mustafa, Acting Director of Environment and Regeneration.
Shifa.mustafa@walthamforest.gov.uk
Moira Bishop, Assistant Director Property, moira.bishop@walthamforest.gov.uk
If you do not hear back from the Council or have an unsatisfactory response, please fill in a complaints form, available from any council office or via the Council website, https://www1.walthamforest.gov.uk/webforms/complaints/default.aspx
Spread the word!
Please forward this email to anyone who may support our cause, tell the people you know — spread the word to friends and neighbours.
More information:
St James Street Library in Coppermill Lane building has been empty since it was closed without warning in April 2007. Local residents have been campaigning since then to have the building returned to community use, though the council wanted to sell it — probably to a property developer.
The council announced earlier this year that it intended to auction the building before April 2011. But the council also started talking to campaigners for the first time. At a meeting with St James Street Library Campaign in October, Cllr
Afzal Akram agreed to consider renting out the building if a potential tenant came forward before Christmas to take it on a five-year lease, which is what the owners of Community Place are proposing to do.
St James Street Library Campaign welcome what has been made public about the proposal so far, while waiting to hear further details.
“This proposal meets the requirements Cllr Akram made at our meeting,” say campaigners. “We wanted the building to reopen as a library and the council wanted to sell it, so this could be the best possible compromise. We look forward to hearing that the council will honour Cllr Akram’s offer.”
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