Church Stretton traders join campaign against library move

Traders said today that plans to relocate the library from Church Street out to Church Stretton School would impact everyone.

They have added their voices to a campaign by the Church Stretton Library Support Group, which has been fighting proposals for the library to be taken over by the school in Shrewsbury Road, outside the town centre, while other council services move to Mayfair Community Centre in Easthope Road.

The proposals have been put forward as a way to keep the library in the town while saving money on building and staff costs as Shropshire Council seeks to cut £1.3 million from its libraries budget.

The comments come as 1,100 people have signed a petition and 200 people turned up to a public meeting at the start of the month to express support for keeping the library where it is.

John Gott, of Berry's Coffee House on High Street, said: "A market town centre stands like a house of cards – the whole is much greater than its individual parts. If one of the more significant parts, in this case the library, is taken away, then the whole becomes less attractive."

Jane van Doesburg, of Van Doesburg's Gourmet Food Shop, also on High Street, agreed.

She said: "The proposed relocation of our town library would compromise its value within the community."

John Vine, of Newsworld in Sandford Avenue, said: "The library should stay where it is. This is important for users of all ages and for businesses in the town centre and is good for the community as a whole."

Ros Ephraim, of Burway Books, added: "The Church Stretton community needs its library hub in the centre of the town."

Felicity Thomas, speaking for the Library Support Group, said she was delighted businesses had leant their backing to the campaign.

She said: "One of the many delights of living in Church Stretton is the wide range of independent, high quality, retail outlets and cafes in the centre.

"These businesses add a great deal to our quality of life and to the tourist economy of this town and we want to see them thrive.

"Once we start 'unplugging' important facilities from our town we damage the mutual benefits that all our facilities and businesses gain from the presence of each other.

"If the library leaves the town this will damage our economy and its small businesses and that is not acceptable."

Shropshire Council has pledged to have a second round of consultation on the future of the library.

Lee Chapman, Shropshire councillor for Church Stretton and Craven Arms, previously said moving the library to the school may be the only way to safeguard the service from future cuts.

He said if the library was run by the school, it would cost the council nothing, but leaving the library where it was made it vulnerable in future years.