Bognor Library staying put after residents oppose proposal

University bosses have decided not to pursue the prospect of merging the public lending facility with their academic library.

The move was announced by the university's vice-chancellor, Dr Robin Baker, who said public opinion influenced the decision.

"There was such a bad reaction to the idea of combining the university library with the public library facility," he said.

"We are not going to try to impose anything on people which is not what they want.

"We will carry on with our own university library.

"If there was a change of heart in the community, and people thought it would be a good idea to combine the libraries, then we would consider it again."

The university's current library is a two-storey wooden building. It is scheduled to be redeveloped in September 2011 for student use only.

The decision was greeted with relief by Bognor library users. Daphne Sheppard, 83, of Berrymill Close, a regular for the past 12 years, said: "It would be really foolish to move the library to the university campus.

"People would never get across that main road. I'm partially sighted and I couldn't manage to get there.

"The staff in the library are fantastic and they should be left to get on with their jobs."

A library user for eight years, Val Werby, 66, of Sea Road, Felpham, said: "The library is all right where it is. It's a case of 'if it ain't broke, don't fix it' as far as I am concerned.

"Getting to the university campus would be very difficult. The traffic along that road is getting worse."

The news the London Road library could be on the move was revealed in the Observer last September.

It was proposed by one of the town's Vision groups as a good idea to combine the proposed redevelopment of the university campus with the chance to create a modern and flexible library.

But the idea attracted widespread opposition among councillors and residents.

They were totally against the prospect of the centrally-located service being shifted to the other side of the A259 Upper Bognor Road.

The distance between the sites is relatively small, but the campus is separated from the town centre by the busy and partial dual carriageway road with few chances for pedestrians to cross.

It is also surrounded on its other sides by housing along narrow roads with severe parking problems.

Attracting more users to the campus would have worsened that situation.

Staff at the two-storey Bognor library '“ built in 1964 '“ issue nearly 350,000 books, CDs and DVDs a year.

The building received a 400,000 refit four years ago to extend its ground floor while its first floor was closed to the public.

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