Barnsley's Central Library design unveiled
The futuristic design for Barnsley's brand new central library, part of the town's £50 million redevelopment, has been unveiled.
21 Jan 2015
This follows the announcement of proposed plans for the town centre last August, when artists’ impressions and a detailed prospectus was launched. The central library design is the next step in this exciting development timeline. The new library is expected to open in early 2017.
Designed to be the beacon of the town, the aim is for the library to have a transparent glazed skin that emits light to illuminate the new public square. Offering almost double the space for IT facilities, the building is designed to meet the needs of our new generation of technology-savvy learners. The building’s low energy use will cost less to run, and the useable roof with great views over the town offers great opportunities for functions and events.
Speaking about this exceptional new design, Cllr Roy Miller, Cabinet Spokesperson for Place said: “The central library is just one part of the overall town centre development scheme, and its high quality design sets the standard for the new town centre. The town centre plans, set to boost regeneration and investment in the town, have been developed by working with our customers and partners.
“We’re creating a vibrant, walkable, family friendly town centre full of opportunity and potential. It will be compact enough to be welcoming and accessible, but large enough to have a high quality market, shops, leisure and cultural facilities.
“All contractors for the project will be local wherever possible, with a focus on giving local young people new skills in construction.”
The Better Barnsley town centre development proposals include a central public square, refurbished and extended Metropolitan Centre, new library, new central car park, and a series of sites for development. Changes are underway already, with the outdoor market relocated into the main shopping precinct in October, and lots of refurbishment work done on surrounding streets. The design is also underway for the new Metropolitan Centre, which will be partially extended and refurbished.
The total investment of the town centre regeneration project is £50 million, which is capital budget earmarked to support the council’s ambition to encourage economic growth.