An outline of the plans for the new 'Neighbourhood Centre'

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 LETRA attended the monthly Avonmore & Brook Green councillor surgery, in its new and very comfortable venue of the 'thirysevendegrees' fitness centre in Blythe Rd, with H&F Cabinet Member, Joe Carlebach.

 He has been working with H&F to transform Barons Court Library into a 'Neighbourhood Centre.' The plans have not been finalise as yet, with an announcement slated for next month, but he was quite candid on some of the services that could make up the new centre. So here is an outline of the plans. 

Citizen Advice Bureau in Mund St. 

 He considers, that at present, “there is a lot of wasted space in the building”, making it very likely that the Citizen Advice Bureau, is to move from its Mund Street home and take up 50% of the present library floor area. The children’s section and the computer access will probably remain, with a facility for the ordering and the lending of books from the newly reorganised tri-borough library service. Whether the provision for users to read newspapers and current periodicals will stay, has yet to be decided on. In the basement, there is a possibility that the local Police & Safer Neighbourhood Team will have an office. In addition, a sum of up to £200,000 is to spent renovating the exterior; Joe didn't have any figures for the amount that will be spent internally on refitting the new 'centre'. 
 That is the extent of the plans Joe was able to reveal, as more work is to be done on finalising what the centre will provide.

 Altogether, admittedly at an unfinished stage of the process, LETRA regards this to be a poor substitute for the present service at Barons Court library. 
The CAB, which  is only open for 9.5 hours per week, will take 50% of the libraries main floor area, it could be rehoused anywhere, even downstairs in the buildings basement. Rentable office space in the borough is not that expensive, but refitting the interior so they can take up residence will not be cheap, with the council receiving only a short term gain from selling off the Mund Street building. 
 The newspaper and periodical area, is one of the most popular services provided, but it looks as if it will go, along with the bulk of the reference section.  
LETRA doesn't consider the present book catalogue on its shelving, to be "wasted space," but a vital constituent part of a library.

 It seems the new 'Neighbourhood  Centre,' will just be a collection of ad hoc services, shoehorned into the building.  There may be some savings, but that will provide a very meagre return for the local community, compared to the loss of all the available resources that Barons Court Library currently sustains.