AFTER councillors opposed to sell off Cardigan’s Morgan Street Council Office, it has been revealed that the town’s library will now have to move to smaller premises.
The ruling Cabinet wanted to sell off the Morgan Street building and move staff to the top floor of Canolfan Teifi where the library is currently located. The council have now announced that they plan to relocate the library to the Morgan Street Office after some renovation work has taken place and they will end their lease on Canolfan Teifi despite previously being offered 5 years free rent by Nick Laing whose family own Principality Developments which owns the building.
Council Leader Ellen ap Gwynn told council members that this relocation was a direct result of full council opposing the sale of the Morgan Street Office after ignoring warnings. The Morgan Street premises will consist of a library on the first floor providing 85 square metres of usable space where there will be a combined library desk, council cash office and a front of house area. On top of this, there will be an o ffice allocated to the integrated care team until the Care Centre is open which is currently planned to be built on the Bath House development.
Highways Director Hugh Morgan has confirmed that the floor area of the library has been reduced in comparison to the current facility and that it is ‘ not necessary to provide a library of the same size ‘ . He went on to speak about how the new facility will mirror that of Aberaeron (90 square metres). “The ground floor is accessible to all users and there will be a disabled toilet for public use. The combined cash office/ library desk/ front of house is the same as that at Aberaeron also.”
There is also a plan to install a glass surrounded slow lift which will provide access to the upper floors but it could be limited to the only floors accessible to the public. Mr Morgan also confirmed that the Morgan Street ‘solution’ is an achievable solution and would involve very similar conversion costs to the original plan at Canolfan Teifi and in turn it would retain a manageable Council owned building in the town. The Herald spoke with Cllr Mark Cole about his views on the relocation.
He said: “Ceredigion’s Cabinet have missed a trick by not seriously examining the offer of 5 years free rent offered by Principality Developments for the library to remain at its current location. “The Cabinet, having decided to keep the Morgan St offices after the full council opposed their sell-off plans, had an opportunity to keep the library in Canolfan Teifi at the same time. For once, they could’ve had their cake and eaten it, but they refused the offer.”
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