Roof contract signed for Riverside Library

Riverside Borough Council has signed the contract for the roof and insulation works at Riverside Library with Hartley Building Ltd, the first of the renovation's four works packages.

What happens first

Work on the roof begins on 4 January 2027. Scaffolding will go up on the Wharf Street side of the building in the last week of December.

Hartley Building Ltd will take on four local apprentices for the length of the contract.

The stained glass window

The reading room's stained glass window, made for the library's opening in 1968, will be taken out and restored by a specialist studio at a cost of £28,000.

Paying for the renovation

The £2.6 million renovation is paid for by a £1.1 million grant from the national library improvement fund and by the council's own capital programme.

Using the library during the works

While the north wing is closed, the mobile library van will stop outside the leisure centre every Tuesday and Friday from 10am to 4pm.

Monthly updates are posted on the library noticeboard and on this website.

Reopening

The council expects the renovated library to reopen in full in November 2027, with a family open weekend.