Kent's oldest library up for auction leaving folkestone residents furious

KentOnline / KMTV

Fury in Folkestone as Kent County Councillors decided to proceed with the auction of Kent's oldest library in Folkestone this week.  Chloe Brewster reports

Transcript

00:00Folkestone Library is the oldest surviving purpose-built library in Kent.

00:04Opened in 1888, it once held one of the most extensive local heritage archives in the county.

00:10Grace Hill has been Folkestone's library for over 140 years.

00:15It was donated to the town in 1888 and has been its library and its museum

00:25and the place of registry of births for many of the years since.

00:32But since it was closed in 2022 due to water issues, it has sat vacant.

00:36In yesterday's Growth Environment and Transport Committee,

00:39councillors voted on whether they should auction the building off.

00:42We thought the meeting was terrible and I think that the administration

00:46completely ignored the views of Folkestone that I was trying to put across.

00:50Say Folkestone Library campaign as well as creative Folkestone put forward plans

00:54to keep the library in place.

00:56But KCC say the plans are just not financially viable.

01:00This door has been open for consultation and discussion with a lot of the community groups

01:08for certainly in the eight months we've been here and I believe beforehand

01:12with the previous administration.

01:14But it ought to be well reminded that let's look at the positive of this.

01:17Folkestone hasn't had a proper library service for over three years now

01:23and by putting this new library service into the Walters building,

01:29it's going to be getting a service that it hasn't had and it should have had.

01:33But not everyone agrees enough has been done.

01:36If reform had pulled their finger out and partnered with the community

01:39to obtain grants to make this building usable again,

01:44we would not be in this position.

01:46I'm not saying that the KCC should put their hand in their pocket

01:49and pay for the refurbishments themselves.

01:51And I just think that what they need to do now is to row back

01:56and commit to work with the community and creative Folkestone

02:00to allow funding biz to be made for that building.

02:04They can get on with the temporary provision works in the meantime,

02:07but KCC is saying, are absolutely clear that those works are for the temporary provision.

02:11What I'm talking about is doing the hard yards needed to get that building back up to scratch

02:16so that a proper long-term solution for Folkestone Library, for the Grace Hill Library can be found.

02:22And that is what they have to get on and do.

02:24While what the building ends up as isn't quite clear,

02:27people here will be hoping this isn't the last chapter for Grace Hill.

02:31Chloe Brewster for KMTV in Folkestone.

02:33We'll see you next time.

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