Groups have six months to secure funds to purchase the closed Kent library. Notification of interest is due by April 18.
The council is looking at a new library location downtown because they find repairing the current Grace Hill building too expensive. A council report cited the financial strain they face.
They shut the library in December 2022 after flood damage, claiming it was unsafe and lacked repair funds. This sparked protests and a petition with 3,647 signatures asking them not to close it.
The local council wants the library to stay at Grace Hill and listed the building as a community asset. This means community groups get the first opportunity to buy it.
The district council advertises the sale intention and collect interest notifications. They pass them on to the county council and groups get six months to find the money. The council doesn’t have to sell to any bidder, though.
Repairs to the old building are estimated at £2.9 million. Council leaders will keep discussing the former Debenhams as a new library. The district council supports a community plan and want the library service back in the Grace Hill building.
One arts charity, Creative Folkestone, may take it over. The charity could get a long lease to fund repairs. The library could remain on the ground floor, and other spaces could serve artists and the community.
The county council faces serious money problems and have cut almost £1 billion in the past 13 years. In 2022/2023, they overspent by £44.4 million. The following year, overspending still reached £9.6 million.
You can send notifications of interest to the Planning Policy Team, Folkestone and Hythe District Council, Civic Centre, Castle Hill Avenue, Folkestone, Kent, CT20 2QY.