Library co-location work begins next month

The controversial move to co-locate Welshpool Library with Powysland Museum will start as early as next month, MyWelshpool can reveal.

Powys County Council made the hugely unpopular decision last month, saying they need the library building for its Welshpool staff so that its Neaudd Maldwyn offices can be sold off to save money.

But it didn’t go down well, with more than 4,000 people signing a petition and a public meeting last week vowing to continue the fight to the end.

However, MyWelshpool can confirm that preparatory work at the museum begins as soon as next month to allow for artefacts to be moved and contractors to start their work.

Cllr Rachel Powell, Cabinet Member for Culture, who made the decision with Cllr Phyl Davies,

said: “Moving exhibitions and museum artefacts has to be done carefully and sensitively. They need to be handled with care and those items which are going into storage need to be packaged properly.

“We are closing the museum April 15 to allow staff to undertake these works and to allow time to prepare the building for a contractor to undertake the necessary works to move the library in.”

The library will occupy the ground floor of the facility, and the council says it will have a children’s area, public access computers and a “good range” of library books.

The plans include redesigning the shelving from the current library to use the space as efficiently as possible.

No date has been released yet for the move to be completed.