West Wickham Library reopens

The multi-million-pound transformation of West Wickham Library has been shortlisted for an award.

The library, which recently reopened, has created several new facilities including a modern café, business lounge and an expanded children’s library with outdoor space. West Wickham is the fifth library to reopen after refurbishment in the borough in recent years, representing over £30 million in investment across sites.

It includes the first Makerspace in a Bromley library, which provides equipment such as 3D printers, a die cutter and sewing machines to support residents and entrepreneurs. To support specialist facilities like the Makerspace, the council has been successful in securing over £1 million from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The new library will also provide new bookable areas for residents, including a community space and business lounge, along with public toilets on each floor, and various new work and study spaces.

The Building London Planning Awards have already selected the library as a finalist for ‘Best Retrofit Project’. The library has been designed with a new frontage and glass surround on the first floor to adjoin the traditional library building.

Councillor Yvonne Bear, Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, said: “We use libraries throughout our lives and not just for books, which is why the council have long supported the borough’s beloved library network. Recent improvements across our libraries continue to drive their popularity while ensuring they have the resources needed to support residents long into the future.”

The library will be run by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), the charitable social enterprise who operate all Bromley’s libraries.

The library refurbishment was delivered alongside 26 new affordable homes on the nearby car park site as part of the council’s Bromley homes for Bromley people programme. The new housing will be completed later this year, which was delivered to support the library redevelopment and provide much-needed housing for the borough.

The council is continuing to deliver library refurbishments across the borough, with works now underway at Chislehurst, Mottingham and Orpington libraries. Plans to relocate Bromley Central Library to its new high street location are also progressing.