Denby Dale’s ambitious community library project plan has finally been lodged with Kirklees Council.
The bid to tear down the existing library and build a new facility was first revealed early last year. Led by local councillor, Jim Dodds, the Denby Dale Community Group quickly drew up plans, gained charitable trust status and secured much of the funding to make the £¼m project viable.
The group was set to submit its plans before Christmas but Clr Dodds has revealed that he discovered a saving of almost £1,000 was possible by having Denby Dale Parish Council propose the application. He said: “I rang planning and asked if we got a discount because we’ve got charitable status and they said no. I then discovered the parish council got a 50% discount so I had to propose it to the parish council, which obviously took time. They agreed to do it and it’s saved us a lot of money.”
The plans went live on the Kirklees Council website this week. They show the layout of the proposed Wakefield Road building with a library, cafe and shop on the ground floor and children’s centre, meeting room and offices on the first floor.
The application says the group intends to provide a “flexible community building which can have multiple uses, including facilities for community groups, charitable causes and the local library, as well as community spaces that can be rented by private individuals.”
Public consultation runs until March 17.
The project has come about because the future of village libraries was under threat. In 2012 Kirklees Council said it wanted to withdraw full-time staff from seven village libraries and recruit volunteers.
