Library land is signed up

CONTRACTS were exchanged on Thursday last week for the purchase of the new Lewes Library site.

Lewes District Council is selling the land at the rear of Lewes House, fronting Friars Walk, to East Sussex County Council for 257,400.

Said Cllr Meg Stroude, county cabinet member for legal and community services: 'People in the Lewes area can now look forward to a brand new library that will become one of the focal points of the town.

'Our shared ambition is that the new library is in accordance with the current design, but this is dependent on both the fundraising objective being met and tender prices coming in on target.

'We are all working hard to achieve that but if the current design has to change we remain absolutely commited to putting a modern new library in place for the people of Lewes.

'If all the pieces of the funding jigsaw fall into place, we can have the current design.

'We are very grateful to the Library Friends and hope their campaign is successful.

Cllr Ann De Vecchi, Lewes District Council leader, said: 'District council members are thrilled that the county has now committed itself, by the purchase of our land, to building a new library for the Lewes area.

'This was overwhelmingly the most popular proposal for the use of this valuable and sensitive site in the historic core and we look forward to a library fit for the 21st Century that everyone can be proud of.'

Said local county councillor Mary McPherson: 'I am very pleased and relieved that difficulties over the small print of the contract have been resolved.

'I am most grateful to the lead members of both councils and their officers for all the time and effort that went into this.

'The next hurdle will come in the autumn with the receipt of the tender prices for the construction of the library, and how successful the Library Friends have been in the first stage of their fund raising.'

* The county council is funding the library to the tune of just under 2 million. The project is also benefiting from a 550,000 grant for a literature centre.

But the present design is dependent on the fundraising target of 500,000 and tender prices coming in on target.