Repairs at York library cost extra £30k (From York Press)

Repairs at York library cost extra £30k

8:25am Tuesday 7th September 2010 in

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REPAIRS discovered during a revamp of York’s main library are responsible for the project being set to exceed its budget by £30,000.

As revealed by The Press last week, the creation of the new Explore York centre in Museum Street is likely to end with a five-figure overspend because of additional building costs and a larger bill than expected for furniture and fittings.

The facility was opened in May following a refurbishment of the former York Central Library, with £540,000 in funding being provided by City of York Council and insurance giant Aviva.

“The overspend resulted from repairs which had to be carried out to the building and which were discovered during the refurbishment,” said Coun Nigel Ayre, the authority’s executive member for leisure, culture and social inclusion.“This was complicated and made more costly by the building’s status as a listed building. The additional construction costs meant there was then less room in the budget to accommodate the purchase of furniture and fittings.”

The extra costs will be met from council reserves, but Coun Ayre said: “York Explore is proving exceptionally popular and we are seeing record numbers of visitors.

“Last Wednesday was the busiest day yet, with 2,502 visitors, compared to an average of 1,600 before the refurbishment.

“York Explore has 20,000 more books than the old library and features new facilities including modern learning rooms equipped with the latest learning technologies, a café, changing facilities for people with disabilities, new self-service machines and a new learning centre.”