AFTER more than 20 years of campaigning by residents and councillors, Wokingham Borough Council has committed to delivering a new library in Twyford.
At an executive meeting on Thursday, July 28, the council agreed to take on a 99 year lease of the Old Polehampton Boys School, with the intention of converting it into a library and community hub.
Cllr Clive Jones, leader of the council, said: “This is something that residents really do want to happen.
“There are a number of times over the last 20 years that this library has come to the council and it’s been considered and then it hasn’t happened.
“We are going to make sure that it is definitely going to happen.”
The council were due to discuss buying the lease in September last year but were unable to do so because of rising building costs.
At the time, Cllr John Halsall, then council leader, described the rises as “significant”, adding: “This is simply not the moment to be cavalier with our capital spending.”
To assist with delivering the library, estimated to cost around £1 million in total, the council have agreed to allocate £330,000 of S106 funding to the project.
S106 funds, also known as developers contributions, is money paid by developers to mitigate the impact of new homes and other buildings.
Cllr Lindsay Ferris, executive member for planning and the local plan, also serves as a councillor for Twyford.
He said: “I would like to thank the Polehampton charities because they have put a lot of effort in and the late Dave Turner, who was really the person who got the old school site into the agenda as a site for the new library because we’ve been looking around the village for a little while beforehand
“He spent many many hours campaigning for this building to be put into use, and we pay tribute to him.”
Dave Turner helped to fundraise and championed the project throughout the last 20 years, including reenacting a record-breaking see-saw challenge he carried out in the 1960s.
He died last year.
Speaking to Wokingham.Today earlier this month, the trustees of the Polehampton Charity were also keen to recognise Mr Turner’s efforts.
A spokesperson said: “The countless hours spent pushing this project forward was championed by the very determined David Turner; he refused to give up when people doubted the project would succeed.”
