Re-designed Wembley Library has re-opened. Now on two floors with a Resident Hub

 

From Brent Council

 

Wembley Library, now home to a brand-new Resident Hub, has officially reopened, unveiling a transformed space designed to better serve the needs of residents and customers.

 

The upgraded facilities have created a space dedicated to fostering knowledge, learning, and community connections in the heart of Brent Civic Centre. 

 

The improvements include a new accessible entrance on Exhibition Way, an expanded library with a larger collection, a new purpose-built children’s library, more study areas and quiet zones - all integrated into a more spacious and versatile library space. 

 

The new Resident Hub on the ground floor features a dedicated customer service area with a digital zone to support residents in accessing online services. Brent Hubs are also located here, along with a range of private rooms for confidential conversations.

 

Councillor Fleur Donnelly-Jackson, Cabinet Member for Resident Support and Culture, said: 

 

Our award-winning Civic Centre has served residents and the council well over the past decade but it’s essential for us to adapt and keep pace with the evolving needs of our community. 

 

This exciting new space will enable us to better serve our residents, especially those with the most complex needs. With a brand-new customer service area and an upgraded library, we’ve created a more accessible, comfortable and confidential environment with enhanced facilities for everyone to enjoy. 

 

We look forward to you experiencing the new facilities. Don’t forget to join us for a special event on Saturday 7 December to celebrate the grand opening.

 

Brent Council explains the Wembley Library changes

 I have recently been asked about the Wembley Library plans by people who have been in the Civic Centre and found the ground floor library closed. A temporary and much reduced library has been installed on the first floor shared with a Hub and with a restricted number of study spaces available elsewhere in the Civic Centre. The changes will cost more than £2m are are expected to be completed in the Autumn. The new main entrance to the Civic Centre will be next door to Sainsbury's - the present library entrance.

This is the statement from the Brent Council website:

Transformation of Wembley Library and Community Hub

Brent’s award-winning Civic Centre opened in 2013, replacing the former headquarters at Brent Town Hall. The building attracts thousands of visitors each year who come to speak to customer services, get married, register births and deaths, study, socialise and more.

As one of the greenest public buildings in the country, it uses 70% less energy, saving money and protecting the environment, and it brings all our services under one roof.

Since the building first opened, we have been regularly checking how people use the building to ensure it continues to be a welcoming space creating a positive experience for all visitors.

Customer Access review

Since the Covid pandemic, more residents access our services online and face-to-face support is being prioritised for residents with the most complex need.

In 2021, we launched a review to improve the way customers and residents access our services in the Civic Centre to respond to the changing needs of those using the building.

We received feedback from over 500 residents, staff focus groups, workshops and surveys.

As a result of this consultation, we will be making some changes to the building to improve the customer experience.

The key layout changes

The redesign will see changes to Wembley Library, the Community Hub, the Customer Services Centre and the Registration and Nationality space on the ground floor and the mezzanine floors.

The benefits will include:

• A new welcoming main entrance to the building on Exhibition Way by Sainsbury’s and new customer waiting area.
• A new dedicated customer area on the ground floor, where customers can meet with Hubs and Customer Service staff. This will include more meeting rooms so that customers can have private and confidential conversations with staff
• A new purpose-built and enclosed Children’s Library
• A repurposed mezzanine floor with a flexible and multi-use Library space and an increased number of study spaces
• A private Family Room for confidential meetings
• The building will be more accessible for visitors with wheelchairs, pushchairs, and complex needs
• A dedicated digital area to support residents and visitors

Work update

Construction work to revamp and improve Brent Civic Centre is now underway.  Work is expected to be completed in autumn 2024. Throughout this period, all services will remain operational. A temporary library service will be available on the first floor of the civic centre. We apologise for any inconvenience caused and thank you for your patience. 

Cost of Brent Civic Centre redesign rises by £67,744.93

 

 

Extract from Wilmott Dixon Design Statement

 

The redesign of Brent Civic Centre has met rising costs. The redesign 10 years on from the opening of the new £90m (£100m by some accounts) Civic Centre has been vigorously opposed by the Liberal Democrats who argued that the £2m could be better spent on more urgent issues affecting Brent residents. LINK

 The cost has now gone up by £68,000 despite some efforts to find savings in the quality of fittings and fixtures.

The decision is made by council officers in consultation with the  Cabinet Members  who 'have been engaged throughout the project and are supportive.'

As such the decision is not subject to call-in.

The Decision

To approve the triggering of the second stage of the design and build contract with Willmott Dixon Construction Limited for the redesign and refurbishment works at Brent Civic Centre for a sum contract value of £2,087,744.93 (an uplift of £67,744.93).

 

Reasons for the decision:

The Council requires works to be undertaken to customer-facing spaces in Brent Civic Centre following completion RIBA Stages 3 and 4 of the project, including the detailed technical design by Wilmott Dixon Construction Ltd (WD), a single contractor appointed under Lot 2 of the Major Projects Framework established by the Procurement Hub. The commencement of the second stage of the contract by Wilmott Dixon Construction Ltd is recommended as it will enable the Council to manage any potential risks, and will provide efficient and consistent delivery of the works, as the redesign and associated services were undertaken by Wilmott Dixon. This will ensure that the anticipated improvement works are carried out to schedule, with completion by autumn 2024.

Alternative options considered:

Brent Council has worked with Willmott Dixon Construction Limited since 2022 to develop a feasibility study for the redesign works, followed by RIBA Stages 3 and 4 from 2023-24. Over the past two months, Brent Council has worked closely with WDI to amend the design plans in order to bring the costings in line with agreed budgets. Through a value engineering process, changes to fixtures and fittings have been agreed to minimise costs. Key internal stakeholders have suggested that further amendments to the design will compromise the benefits of the project to residents and customers. It is therefore considered that the increase in the contract value of around £67k is reasonable.

 

Brent Council outlined what they see as the necessity of a redesign in an earlier press release:

Work to revamp Brent Civic Centre and improve access for residents gets underway.

The transformation follows an extensive review into the evolving needs of residents and customers and aims to create a more accessible, welcoming and functional space for all visitors to the building.

The redesign will see changes to Wembley Library, the Community Hub, the Customer Services Centre and the Registration and Nationality space.

The benefits for residents include:

• Improved accessibility: A new welcoming main entrance on Exhibition Way (next to Sainsbury’s). The building will be more accessible for visitors with wheelchairs, pushchairs, and complex needs, ensuring inclusivity for all
• Dedicated customer area: The ground floor will have a brand-new customer area, including a digital hub for support with accessing online services
• Community hub: The Wembley Hub will have a new space on the ground floor equipped with meeting rooms for private and confidential conversations

• Enhanced library: A new purpose-built and enclosed children’s library, a repurposed mezzanine floor with flexible library spaces and increased study areas
• Registration and Nationality space: A new flexible space that customers can hire to Work is now underway with completion expected in autumn 2024. Throughout this period, all services will remain operational. A temporary library service will be available on the first floor of the civic centre. All library services will be available, but events will take place at other library locations.

 

As with many changes in Brent, members of the public talking to Wembley Matters on a recent visit appear to have been taken by surprise  by the changes. Often the first they knew was when they visited the Civic Centre to change their library books and found the library had been moved from the ground floor to temporary accommodation alongside the Wembley Hub on the first floor.  The temporary library has only a few shelving units and no electronic return and borrowing machines. 

 

Jaws dropped when they were told the new main entrance would be situation between the pasty shop and Sainsbury's: 'But wasn't the current entrance designed to lead to the impressive atrium and wide wooden staircase?'

 

Some questioned how a modern purpose-built building could have proved inadequate for purpose 10 years on but that doesn't take into account the huge increased resident demand for face to face meetings with council officers as a result of austerity, the pandemic and rising homelessness. Now most of the ground floor will be given over to customer services.

The temporary Wembley Library at Brent Civice Centre - look for better alternatives

 The ground floor Wembley Library at the Brent Civic Centre is closed at present as the redesign of the Civic Centre goes ahead. The library will eventually me on the mezzanine floor but will be temporarily housed on the first floor for several months.

I opened the door on to a huge hubbub when I visited today. The small room is shared with the Civic Centre Hub, also moved from downstairs. There were crowds of people waiting to be seen by Brent staff and use the computer terminals for advice and support. Not a room where anyone could study.

The are no terminals for returning or borrowing books, just one customer counter. There is a much diminished range of book available for borrowing.

Staff are doing their best but I would recommend library users go to Ealing Road Library or Willesden Green Library for Brent library books. Alternatively to borrow books, use IT or study in a peaceful environment Preston Community Library is available on Wednesday's (3.30pm-5.30pm) and Saturday (11am-3pm).

Wembley Library closed this weekend

 From Brent Council

Wembley Library is getting an exciting makeover, with a new purpose-built chidren's library, additional study areas and much more.  From Monday 29 April the library will temporarily be based on the first floor of Brent Civic Centre. All library services will operate as normal from the temporary space, but the events programme will paused.  As a result of the move Wembley Library will be closed this weekend, Saturday 27 and Sunday 28 April. We apologise for any inconvenience caused. Ealing Road Library is the nearest library and is open as usual.  Ealing Road Library  Coronet Parade Ealing Road  Wembley  HA0 4BA

Henry Cooper of Wembley – free talk on Saturday 17th June 10.30am at Brent Civic Centre

Guest post by local historian Philip Grant

Back in November 2018, I wrote a short post about a blue plaque which had been unveiled in Ealing Road, to commemorate Sir Henry Cooper. The greengrocers business that he ran there, for three years in the 1960s, was called “Henry Cooper of Wembley”, and that is the name of a free illustrated talk which I will be giving at Brent Civic Centre on the morning of Saturday 17 June. I’m writing this article, so that as many local people as possible, who might wish to come along to my talk, are aware of it.

 

 

The talk has been arranged for that weekend, and that venue, because it will be the 60^th anniversary of Henry Cooper’s famous boxing match at Wembley Stadium (a final eliminator, with the winner fighting for the Heavyweight Championship of the World) against Cassius Clay, aka Muhammad Ali.

 

 

The talk is not just about boxing, but also about Henry Cooper the man, who lived in Wembley with his family for fifteen years, at the height of his career. Although it is advertised as being at the Civic Centre's Wembley Library, the talk will actually take place in Boardrooms 4&5  as students will be revising for exams in the library itself. Because of this, if you are coming to the talk, please arrive between 10.15 and 10.25am, at the library entrance in the main Civic Centre atrium, so that a member of staff can take you up to the third floor in the lift.

 

Although this is a free talk, you need to book online, at the Brent Culture Service Eventbrite website, to reserve your place. To see more details, and to do that, please click HERE. I look forward to sharing Henry’s story with you, in words and pictures!

 

Philip Grant

 

 

Brent Lib Dems: 'Impossible to justify £1.96m spend' on Brent Civic Centre that 'could bring Council into disrepute'

 'Reach for the book' - the 'concept' plan to replace the spiral straircase

 

The Liberal Democrat Group on Brent Council have expressed doubts about the Council’s decision to spend £2m on the £100m 10 years old Brent Civic Centre.

 

They said:

 

The Cabinet decision to spend an excessive sum of £1.96 million on upgrades to Brent Civic Centre, at a time when services provided by the local authority continue to be reduced, is wrong and unjustified.

 

As a service-based organisation, Brent Council should always be putting the needs of residents first and we do not believe that committing this large amount of money on ‘Improving the Customer Experience’ at the Civic Centre is a priority for our residents. Most residents are concerned about crumbling and dangerous local roads and pavements, increased rubbish being dumped in our area, and most significantly the huge financial pressures faced due to the Cost-of-Living crisis, compounded by upcoming additional pressures like the increase in Council Tax and other charges.

 

It is difficult to justify spending £1.96 on the Civic Centre building, when there are so many other areas the Council should be prioritising at this time. 

 

The Report makes no mention of the number of visitors to the Civic Centre, what the numbers the current arrangements can cope with and what the numbers the redesign will be able to accommodate, after spending £1.96 million. Why?

 

The Report also makes claims about savings without specifying what these savings will be.

 

Brent Civic Centre is barely 10 years old. We find it incredible that the Cabinet have been able to identify such a large amount of money for a redesign, whilst simultaneously claiming shortfalls in the budget exist, which impact the delivery of services and upkeep of our wards.

 

It is accepted by many that, particularly post pandemic, the Civic Centre is not being used to full capacity. Much of the vast space available for use is not being utilised as intended, as many Council Officers are able to do their work remotely and from home. Whilst the Report refers mostly to the customer areas of the Civic Centre, we believe that a discussion now needs to also begin about the continued use of the Civic Centre as a whole, given the costs involved for its upkeep, and the potential for considerable revenue to be generated if it is used in different ways.

 

The Report focuses on the face-to-face public spaces in the Civic Centre as being in need of a redesign. We do not believe that enough effort has been made to adapt, at much lesser cost, the existing spaces for ‘customers’ who come to the building seeking support.

 

We believe that further work needs to take place to understand alternative, less costly action to ensure a better ‘Customer Experience’ at Brent Civic Centre. We acknowledge that some consultation has been done that has led to the decision to produce this Report, however we are sceptical that enough people’s views were taken into account and that a wide range of views were considered in preparation for this Report.

 

As Councillors often in the Civic Centre, we recognise the waste of space in the mezzanine area. This space should be used more efficiently, as noted in the Report, however, we see no need for expansive works to improve it.

 

The Report refers to the need to create private more secluded areas for ‘customers’ (residents) to have meetings and discussions with Council Officers. There is a great deal of empty space on the ground floor and the first floor that could quite easily be turned into private spaces, as is required.

 

There is also an opportunity to create a secondary reception area on the left side of the ground floor, where currently ‘Registrations’ take place. We see no problem in dual purpose use of that side of the ground floor.

 

As to the issues with heating in the building, the current plan seems extravagant and unnecessary. We want to see officers explore alternative options to regulate the heat in the Civic Centre, possibly by installation of additional artificial walls.

 

Our view is that better use can be made of existing Hub centres across the borough, in order to provide a service to our residents out in the community. The money agreed by Cabinet to spend on redesign of the Civic Centre, can be better used to improve existing services that are more likely to directly assist residents with their needs.

 

Fundamentally, we believe it is impossible to justify the £1.96 million spend as agreed by Cabinet. It is the wrong time, the wrong look and could bring this Council into disrepute if this goes ahead.

 

Our residents want to see their Council focus on the issues that matter to them and for the vast majority that will never step foot in the Civic Centre, this decision will have no positive impact.

 

 

Dr Laptop at Wembley Library (Brent Civic Centre) on Saturday August 5th 10.30am to 15.30pm

 

You don't need a book a slot if you're coming down to donate a device. We take GDPR very seriously. The Fixing Factory has strict GDPR protection measures in place to prevent misuse of data. Our staff are fully vetted, trained and inducted to reset and wipe laptops without accessing the data contained on the devices - so you can rest assured that even if you haven't wiped it before donation, it will be wiped during our refurbishment process.

If you're having problems with your device and don't know what's wrong, our friendly IT experts are on hand to help answer all your questions. Don't despair - choose repair!

We've opened the UK's FIRST EVER Fixing Factory in Brent to tackle the major problem of discarded tech.

Last year, west Londoners threw out 116,000 tonnes of electrical items – that’s over 68 Wembley arches worth of stuff! We're fixing our relationship with tech by:

- Saving laptops & tablets from waste by refurbishing and repairing them

- Teaching FREE repair skills to local people in the process

- Empowering local communities by giving FREE fixed devices to those without access

Book a slot to come down and receive a free diagnostics check and repair advice on your laptop or tablet. Our expert volunteers will need the full hour so don’t be late!

Location: Brent Civic Centre Library ( Wembley Library)

 

REGISTER HERE  (Note only 14.30-15.30 seemed to be left when I checked)

Is £17.8m spend on Wembley Stadium public realm a good use of CIL cash?

I am grateful to fellow blogger James Powney LINK for drawing attention to last week's Cabinet decision to spend £17.8m of Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) cash raised through the Quintain development on improving the Public Realm outside Brent Civic Centre and along Olympic Way.

Just in case we thought that there may be other areas of Wembley or Brent  that could do with an infrastucture uplift, Brent claim that there will be benefits for the borough as well as Quintain.  In particular they want a public square outside the Wembley Library and restrictions on Quintain's plans for site NW04 adjacent to the Civic Centre. They argue that this will support an 'education quarter'. The Council has told the College of North West London LINK that it wishes to acquire the College's Wembley Site and 'would not look favourably on planning permission for the required housing provision if the college proceeds with an alternative developer.'

 This is what the Officer's Report LINK had to say: 

To assist in achieving the vision for Wembley, a significant element in terms of place making is the provision of new and substantial steps to the stadium to replace the pedestrian way (‘pedway’) and works to the public realm between Wembley Park underground station and the National Stadium Wembley: Olympic Way. This will enhance the area, both from an aesthetic and functional requirement. 


Olympic Way as a piece of public realm is showing its age. It does not present the type of quality considered consistent with the environment necessary for a world renowned iconic venue and the wider Wembley Park development. In the context of other pressing infrastructure needs and other Council revenue spending requirements, a response might be that a significant Council funding contribution 
towards these changes should be a low priority. Nevertheless, this would be a simplistic and does not take account of all factors, including limitations associated with funding streams generated from development. CIL funding attained by the Council is specifically related to infrastructure and is not available to support Council general revenue spending. In addition this proposed change in public realm should be seen as part of a wider picture about what will be achieved in Wembley which will have far reaching positive impacts for Brent and its prospects.

Improved public realm has a key role in place-making. Such changes in their own right have the potential to totally transform the perception and function of an area. It can lead to enhanced social and economic value benefits that far outweigh the initial investment. Notable examples of the impacts of such transformational public realm changes are Regent’s Street, Granary Square at Kings Cross, Birmingham, Manchester, Sheffield and Liverpool city centres. Empirical evidence set out in valuing the Benefits of Regeneration published by CLG 2010 indicates a benefit cost ratio of 1.4 for public realm work. Specific evidence associated with Sheffield indicated that the £9.5 million invested in the Peace Gardens has generated £4.5 million visitor shopping/leisure spend per annum that otherwise would not have occurred. In addition it attracted commercial property investment and occupiers that otherwise would not have come, improving investment yields with the associated economic benefits of providing access to future investor funding. 


The transformational change of Wembley has and will continue to require strong partnership working between the Council, developers and key stakeholders. As part of providing certainty and support for investment, the Council has previously identified that it will use contributions generated by Quintain’s developments to support the new infrastructure. Key elements relate to where these contributions will be prioritised relate to the provision of new jobs and homes and improvements to the environment and public realm. As part of the shared vision for Wembley, the Council has worked closely with Quintain in identifying the quality of public space that both organisations consider is necessary to enhance the Wembley offer. 

Following a design competition, in which the council participated, Dixon Jones were selected as Architects and Gross Max as Landscape Architects for Olympic Way. Designs have been developed over a number of months that when implemented will: 

·                 Provide new hard and soft landscaping throughout 


·                 New coordinated crossing at Fulton Road 


·                 New Lighting columns with large banners and future digital screens 


·                 New Trees 


·                 Built in services to allow pop up and cultural events 


·                 Fast Wifi throughout 


·                 Containment for future digital screens 


·                 Wayfinding 


·                 Create a significant square outside Civic Centre 


·                 Remove of the Pedway and new substantial steps 


·                 Enhanced entrance to the stadium 


·                 New Retail / meeting point below new stadium steps 


·                 Removal of surplus ramps and steps adjacent to 1 Olympic Way 


·                 Cycle parking at Wembley Park station 


·                 Treatment to Bobby Moore Bridge 


·      Long term management arrangements through potential for designation as a ‘Area of special interest’ 

Powney, an ex-Labour councillor, comments:

I am not not reassured by the opacity of Quintain's relationship with the Council, or what often strike me as the perverse judgements of Cllr Muhammed Butt in planning matters, or the degree to which the Planning Committee is independent of the Council Leader's influence. 

Agreed.

Do you want to find out more about Wembley Park's fascinating history? - Tomorrow Wembley Library

From Brent Culture

Join us for this free session that will explore the history of Wembley Park through maps pictures and objects from Brent’s Museum and Archives - items we will look at include some amazing aerial photographs of the stadium from the 1930s.

We’ll be looking at the exciting transformation of Wembley Park, from the stately home to stadium, along the way we will be taking in the pleasure gardens of the 1890s and the British Empire Exhibition of 1924.

Come to History of Wembley Park and discover more about this unique corner of London.

 

Wednesday 5 April, 6.30-7.30pm.  Wembley Library, Brent Civic Centre

British Empire Exhibition at Wembley: An Imperial celebration or an urgent makeover? Talk on Tuesday.

Historian Denis Judd will give a talk on this subject at Wembley Library tomorrow (June 17th) from 6.30pm until 7.30pm.

Denis Judd is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society, Professor Emeritus of History at London Metropolitan University, and currently Professor of History at New York University in London.
He has reviewed and written extensively in the national and international press as well as writing several programmes for BBC Radio 4 and the BBC World Service.

He is also an occasional adviser to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and is often interviewed for national and international television and radio, including BBC TV's 'Newsnight'.

His published work includes over 25 books covering a variety of historical and military subjects, stories for children, and two novels. Among his most recent books is the highly praised and best selling Empire: the British Imperial Experience from 1765 to the Present (new edition 2011), which will provide the focus for this talk.

We want OUR library back!

From the Friends of Preston Library
 

Elections to Brent Council are less than a month away. We are holding a public meeting at 7.30 on Wednesday May 7 in St Erconwald's Church Hall, Carlton Avenue East HA9 8NB (flyer attached).  We have invited all the local candidates. In three of the four wards served by Preston Library, seats changed hands at the last election. They need your votes, and this is your chance to tell them what you think.

It's over two years since Brent closed six of the borough's libraries, and much of what we said would happen has happened. Brent's libraries are now, on almost every measure in the official statistics, amongst the poorest performers in London. We know that many people in the Preston area have been deprived of their library service - only yesterday someone who lives a few hundred yards from Preston Library was telling me that her daughter now struggles to find study space in the new Civic Centre Library.

The Preston Library building is still in public hands, and will be vactated by Preston Park School next year. Please come to St Erconwald's next week, and tell the politicians that we want our library back!

Brent Beats with Simon Mole on Thursday at Wembley Library

In association with Spread the Word, spoken word poet and MC Simon Mole leads this taster workshop on Thursday 26th September at Wembley Library (Civic Centre) opposite Wembley Arena. 4pm to 6pm

Try your hand at Freestyling and Spoken Word… and create a piece of your own that you can perform along with Simon and other poets such as Raymund Antrobus, Adam Kammerling and Deanna Rodger at the Chill Pill Open Mic at the Brent Civic Centre Opening Ceremony on Sunday 6 October.

Simon will also be running workshops on Sunday 6 October at 12.30pm and 2.30pm, where you can create more poems and raps, and prepare for your Chill Pill moment….
www.simonmole.com
www.chill-pill.co.uk

Is this Ikea or the Civic Centre?

Brent Town Hall Council Chamber

Characteristically, as befits their attitude to Brent's heritage, councillors barely registered that Monday's Council Meeting was the last to be held at Brent Town Hall (formerly Wembley Town Hall) before the move to the Civic Centre.

The ballroom dancers having their last dance at the Town Hall on the same evening seemed more aware of the significance of the occasion and I encountered several couples later that night, in dishevelled finery, swaying gracefully, if rather tipsily as they went home from the Paul Daisley Hall for the last time.

I had a look behind the scenes today at the councillors new quarters and I must confess that the Ikea style furnishings seemed to lack solidity compared with the oak wood panelling and aged wooden desks of the old Town Hall.

The great atrium and imposing staircase of the Civic Centre lead through to halls and offices in 'the drum' which have an overall colour scheme of grey and actually seemed quite poky in comparison with the Town Hall. The grey, spotted carpet, in the councillors' office area, already looked grubby and stained in places, but is perhaps awaiting an industrial deep clean. The Council Chamber carpet is  a rather loud turquoise.

The Civic Centre Conference Room/Council Chamber - councillors' offices are behind the translucent panels

There is no public gallery as such but these are seats for officers and public

The replacement for the Paul Daisley Hall - ballroom dancing?

Into the grey zone - a committee room

The Labour Group's Office

The Mayor's Parlour

There is also a sort of members' common room furnished with armchairs but little else at present. I have only seen the staff offices from a distance but I am sure for many workers this will represent an improvement in working conditions compared with the old buildings they have vacated, and that is to be welcomed. The hot desking does not appear to be popular and open plan offices with the boss sitting amongst the workers may not be to the taste of some.

There will be a live video feed of council meetings but I hope that will not mean a restriction on the public being able to sit in the council chamber to observe meetings in progress. The broadcasts are unlikely to challenge the supremacy of East Enders although there is potential for Cllr Zaffar Van Kalwala to become a cult hero on the internet.

The Wembley Library was a welcome centre of colour and activity and some students I spoke to liked it but were worried about the difficulty of getting there compared with the Town Hall Library. They also lobbied for sound barrier glass between the main library and the children's library!

The food at the Melting Pot restaurant was tasty and reasonably priced but I was shocked when I asked for a glass of tap water to go with my lunch that 'We don't have tap water'. A Civic Centre that boasts its green credentials must surely rectify that as soon as possible if it is to escape ridicule.