Merton Council are opening a brand new purpose-built library on Monday 5 February in the centre of Colliers Wood to replace the former Donald Hope Library.
The front entrance of the new Colliers Wood Library
Just a minute’s walk from Colliers Wood underground station, the state of the art new library has three floors with a wide range of books for all ages, WiFi and free to use computers. There are also study areas, meeting spaces for hire which can be segmented into separate sections or made into one large area for hire, a café, children’s area and a living roof. The library is fully accessible for all users with purpose built interiors.
The bright and spacious children’s area
The design of the library has gone through a number of public consultation stages and residents will see the results of their input in the design and fittings. The Council has also been working with the Alzheimer’s Society to make the library dementia-friendly.
Some of the many computers available at the new library
The library is available for use from Monday 5 February and there will be a special Community Open Day on Saturday 24 February from 11am-4pm where a number of special events will be taking place. Library users are encouraged to take photos of themselves enjoying the new library and tweeting their photo using #ColliersWoodLibrary
Merton Council’s Cabinet Member for community and culture, Nick Draper, said: “This is an exciting new development for Colliers Wood with an iconic new library. Our award winning library service has gone from strength to strength and this is a major chapter in our aim to make our libraries better and better. We are thrilled that residents will now benefit from increased space and improved resources from this beautiful new library which is open to all.”
For more information on the library or to hire a room within it please see merton.gov.uk/libraries
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Notes to editors
The Colliers Wood Library will be run by Merton Council and the coffee shop will be run by Gosto Fino. This library will replace the temporary Colliers Wood Library that has operated from the Guardian Centre for the Blind, Clarendon Road, since July 2015 until it closed in December 2017.
The development of the new Colliers Wood Library is the result of a productive partnership between Rocco Homes and Merton Council. Rocco Homes, the developer for the project, which also provides housing in the site, has invested around £2,000,000 for the construction of the library, with Merton Council facilitating the necessary planning permission and timetable arrangements.
45 of the 60 new residential properties built by Rocco Homes will be operated by the housing association Metropolitan Housing, meaning all of these 45 properties will be available at affordable rates for Londoners.
The new library will have solar panels on the main roof and a green sedum roof. Additionally, there will be a centralised heating system for the whole building, electric vehicle charging points and bicycle parking.
Accessibility has been a key consideration in the design of the library, which will include a lift and a disabled toilet, making it fully accessible to all. The library will also have a designated buggy park and, following consultation with the Alzeimer’s Society, colours, flooring and furniture for the new library have all been commissioned making it Merton’s first dementia friendly library.
Transport links to the new library are located just a couple of minutes’ walk from Colliers Wood underground station. Cycle parking is available and Bus routes 57, 131 and 219 stop outside the library with other routes also passing through Colliers Wood and stopping within walking distance. There is limited metered public parking available in Cavendish Road and Valley Gardens next to the library.
About the London Borough of Merton
An outer London borough to the south west of the capital with a population of 200,000 residents living in 80,000 households and served by 7,500 businesses. Formed in 1965, the borough’s five main town centres are Wimbledon (taking in the Village, the Broadway and South Wimbledon), Mitcham, Morden, Raynes Park and Colliers Wood.
Merton is home to the world famous All England Lawn Tennis Club, where the Wimbledon Championships take place every year bringing an extra 500,000 people into the borough for the tennis extravaganza.