THE final go-ahead has been given for a troubled £1 million-plus renovation project in Wellington’s public library.

The Fore Street premises will close on Saturday, May 6, and the town will be without the facility for two months until a temporary library is opened on another site on June 26.

The temporary service will be located in the former over-60s club, opposite the town’s fire station, in North Street, while 10 months of work is carried out in Fore Street.

Wellington should then see its library return to the town centre by mid-2024.

The refurbishment should have started last year but the project has twice been delayed, while costs have soared by more than a third from the original £900,000 estimate to £1.3 million.

A contract for the work is expected to be awarded on May 15 with a start on site being made in August.

The project involves comprehensive upgrades to the fabric of the building, which dates to the early 1800s and has been operating as a library since 1969.

Accessibility for staff and visitors will be improved across all three floors of the building, its thermal efficiency increased, and as much ‘decarbonisation’ as possible will be carried out.

Accessible toilet and baby changing facilities and a meeting room will be fitted on the ground floor.

Some health services are expected to move into the upgraded premises, which Somerset Council said would be ‘fit for purpose both in the breadth and quality of services it provides as part of a greener, sustainable community, and in minimising the building’s carbon emissions into the future’.

Council assets portfolio holder Cllr Ros Wyke said: “This is a hugely exciting point in the long-awaited programme to upgrade and enhance the library building in Wellington, creating a wonderful hub for the local community and visitors alike.

“As many Wellington residents are aware, the current premises are no longer fit purpose and it is vital that the works to improve and enable full accessibility for all our customers, visitors, and staff, including the installation of a lift to all floors, creating an accessible library entrance at ground floor, and making the rear extension structurally safe, commence this summer.

“As with all major projects of this type, preparation is key.

“The closure of the current premises in May is necessary to enable our team of skilled, part-time staff to methodically and accurately plan, categorise, sort, and pack thousands of items, selecting which will be moved to the temporary library premises in North Street, and which will be put into storage until the new premises are ready next spring.”

Full details regarding all on-loan items, reservations, book renewals, and returns as well opening times at North Street will be available from May 9 by visiting https://www.somerset.gov.uk/libraries.