SALTASH residents are being invited to find out the latest on their town’s library refurbishment project and ask questions of the town council, which is taking the plans forward. The library was devolved from Cornwall Council to Saltash Town Council in 2019.

For the past 12 months the council has been carrying out consultation on the proposed investment and development to take place at the building on Callington Road.

“We view this as a great opportunity for the town, since Cornwall Council’s devolution programme allowed the future management and running of the library to be transferred locally,” said a council spokesperson.

“This fits in well with the council’s ambitions and plans to not only secure the library’s future for its community now and in the future, but also its overall plans and vision for the town. The building itself, being 60 years old, is in need of restoration to make it fit for purpose, and it’s this timing that creates an opportunity to make the library a much more complete community asset, creating a number of other uses with the popular library at its heart.”

Six online Zoom presentations to bring people up to speed will be made next month. These are set to be presented by the chairman and vice chairman of the library sub committee, the assistant town clerk and the Community Hub team leader. While the video call will be a presentation rather than a debate, the council says it is keen to continue interaction with the community, so it is asking members of the public to submit questions in advance together with full contact details.

“Already, through the council’s recent consultations, there have been many helpful suggestions ranging from more variety and newer books to well-lit spaces for reading, from child-friendly spaces to the introduction of classes. These and many others have all been adopted in the strategy of internal floor and activity plans.”

Dates planned for the online Zoom showcases are: Wednesdays, February 17 and 24, at 11am and 6.30 pm; and Saturdays, February 20 and 27, at 11am.

“If you would like to attend one of the above dates to view the showcase and ask a question, please contact [email protected] or call 01752 844846 no later than Friday February 5, providing full contact details, your question, and two available dates from the list above.”

There is also the option to join the presentation by telephone, says the council.