WELLINGTON library will be a “wonderful hub for the community” when it reopens after its final phase of refurbishment, a civic leader has said.

The town will see its library reopen in a number of weeks once the £900,000 revamp project of its Fore Street base comes to an end.

Somerset County Council allocated funding in February 2022 to upgrade Wellington Library, located in the town centre, after efforts to relocate the amenity to a new, more modern site, had come to nothing.

The building closed on May 6, 2024, to allow the first and second floors to be made accessible, with the library service temporarily relocating to the Northfield Centre on the B3187 Fore Street.

Somerset Council - which replaced the county council in April, 2023 - has now announced that the temporary library will close at 1pm on Saturday, September 7 – with the Fore Street site reopening after the refit at 9.30am on Monday, September 30.

The upgrade to the grade one listed building (which has been used as a library ever since 1969) is designed to improve accessibility for staff and visitors across all floors of the building, and deliver increased thermal efficiency of the building, in line with the council’s ongoing commitment to decarbonisation and reducing climate change.

It is also intended to “create a library and associated complementary services that work to connect the community, enable partnership working and provide advice and guidance to all customers to the site.”

Councillor Federica Smith-Roberts, portfolio holder for communities, housing and culture, said: “The upgraded premises, housing the library and health and well-being services, creates a wonderful hub for the local community and visitors alike.

“The closure will give our team of skilled staff time to move thousands of items, from the temporary library premises in North Street, and items in storage into the refurbished building.”

All items which are on loan once the North Street building is closed will be automatically renewed until at least October 21, meaning patrons will not be immediately subject to hefty fines when the Fore Street site reopens.

Items which are overdue before the closure will be automatically renewed, but customers will have the overdue charge to pay.

Items can still be reserved at Wellington Library, but these may be subject to delays.

During the closure, books and other items can still be reserved and collected from Somerset’s other libraries – with the closest being Taunton (both the main library and Priorswood), Bishop’s Lydeard and Wiveliscombe.

The refurbished library will be open from 9.30am to 5pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and from 9:30am to 1pm on Thursdays and Saturday.

The council confirmed in late-July that the North Street building would be sold off, either on the open market or at auction, as part of a wider policy of selling off “non-operational assets” to save money.

For more information about the library service across Somerset, visit website: www.somerset.gov.uk/libraries.