00:00This is the first new library provision in Kent for the last 14 years.
00:08A new library in the heart of a coastal town left without a community space like this
00:15since 2022, when Folkestone's Grade 2 listed Grace Hill site was shuttered over concerns
00:23around the building, sparking public outcry over losing a beloved space.
00:29In comparison to the previous site that we had on Grace Hill, there'll be a lot more.
00:35There'll be a lot more customers, a lot more interest generated, it's a newer space, it's more accessible.
00:41A new library opening is a rarity in the world of cash strapped councils.
00:47It was just two years ago Kent County Council was considering closing some of its then 99 libraries to save
00:57money.
00:58Something the authority has turned a page on, with plans being considered to even expand the service.
01:06We were given a list of 34 libraries that were going to have to be closed.
01:10And when I saw that list, I looked in horror.
01:13You can't go cutting community assets from local residents.
01:19Folkestone has been without a library like this one for the last three years, instead relying on limited and temporary
01:26provision.
01:27This space, built from the ground up in the heart of the town centre, not only provides books and magazines,
01:35but adult education, registration of birth and death certificates, and of course free Wi-Fi.
01:42People I've been speaking to have come in on opening day, say they've been crying out for a space like
01:49this.
01:50Now that, like I've been in here about five minutes and already I've had multiple people come up to me
01:54and be like, isn't this amazing?
01:55Like, isn't this just so nice? And I think it is just one of those things that, like there's a
01:59kids section over there and kids are just sat reading books and going through things and finding all things to
02:03be excited about.
02:04I'm really happy because of mobility issues. I can't get down to the old library, not for years. And also
02:14for people that have got cars, parking is going to be so much easier.
02:20Having accessible and places where you don't have to spend money to be there, like there's not enough of that
02:25in Folkestone. So yeah, I'm excited about it.
02:28When I left the centre had only been open a few hours, but already families and friendly faces were making
02:37themselves at home.
02:39Closing a chapter on a town left library-less for years.
02:45Olly Lieder in Folkestone.
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