Bradford’s central library facility is set to relocate to permanent accommodation in November after councillors received confirmation of the timetable.
The authority announced in late 2024 that the service would transfer from its existing City Park premises to the ground floor of Britannia House, a building owned by the local authority.
The transition would eliminate the need to continue paying annual rent of £420,000 for the current location.
Initial projections from the council’s then administration indicated the relocation would occur in early 2026.
While preparation work on the listed building’s ground floor commenced during the current year, no specific date had previously been disclosed.
At a meeting of the Regeneration and Environment Scrutiny Committee, elected members received a progress report on the district’s library network.
During the session, committee chair Councillor Susan Fricker, representing Bingley East for the Labour group, sought clarification regarding the timeline for the City Library transition.
Officials confirmed that the transfer to Britannia House was scheduled for mid-November.
Committee members were informed that significant investment was being directed towards the project.
The head of the library service advised that precise cost figures remained unspecified, though initial impressions indicated the facilities would be impressive.
Additional flexibility, meeting rooms, and event areas were highlighted as key improvements, providing substantially more accommodation than the current site offers.
The relocation is projected to generate savings of approximately one million pounds for the council.
The extensive ground floor area at the listed property had recently served the authority’s customer service operations before their transfer to City Hall.
The repositioned library will occupy a central position within the substantial regeneration programme that has transformed the urban core in recent years.
Surrounding streets have been converted to pedestrian zones as part of an internationally recognised initiative to enhance the area’s appeal to visitors.
The authority stated that the library would gain increased visibility at street level, with expansive windows offering prospects across City Hall and St George’s Hall, Norfolk Gardens, while establishing new pedestrian routes through Broadway and Hall Ings.
The service transferred to its present City Park site from Margaret McMillan Tower in 2013.
The tower block was deemed a fire hazard in 2011 and suffered additional complications two years later when asbestos was discovered throughout the structure.
The move to City Park was undertaken under a decade-long agreement involving annual rental payments of £420,000.