The future of Roath Library, which has been closed for over a year, is to be decided by Cardiff Council
THE fate of Roath Library hangs in the balance as the community await Cardiff Council’s decision on its future.
Following last Friday’s deadline for submissions, councillors are now reviewing Community Asset Transfer proposals for the building to see whether there is a workable option to continue the library services.
The library has been closed since November 2014 as a result of structural problems and it has been estimated that repairs could cost up to £250,000.
A poster on the front door says “Roath Library – closed by Cardiff’s Labour Council”.
Councillor Peter Bradbury said: “We are desperate to find a solution as quickly as possible for the people of Adamsdown.
“If there is a viable Community Asset Transfer proposal that will allow for someone else to take on the building and allow for a library service to continue then that’ll be the best way forward.”
The 115-year-old building on Newport Road is a Grade II listed property and is a well-known local feature, so the council’s decision to secure the future of Roath Library at a budget meeting in February 2015 was very popular among people in the area.
Signs around Roath urge people to save the library
However the proposals for a Community Asset Transfer has left some residents concerned that the building may be sold privately.
Julie Sharpe, 44, said: “I was a regular user of the library before it closed and it’s so sad that we haven’t seen any real initiative from the council to address the issue.
“I’m worried that if the council sell off the building then we will be left without a decent library service.
“There’s lots of young children who live in the area and it’s important for them to be able to use facilities like this.”
A community group, Save Roath Library, has been set up to show the local support for the library as well as starting a petition that has received more than 300 signatures.
Similarly the Cardiff Liberal Democrats have created their own petition to save the library, claiming: “Adamsdown is one of the most deprived areas of Cardiff and Roath Library is so much more than a place to borrow books.
“It is vital that the library remains open.”
