Temporary library opens as work progresses on Marple Community Hub

A new temporary library has opened in Marple Scout Hut as part of work to deliver a new community hub and leisure centre for the village.

Stockport Council confirmed in an update on the project that the pop-up library will open every Tuesday (12 midday to 6pm) and every Thursday (10am to 4pm). During these times people will be able to borrow books, use a computer free of charge, speak to library staff and attend Storytime every Thursday at 11am. Smart lockers will also be installed outside the scout hut for out-of-hours book returns and to pick up reservations.

Extra staffed hours will also be added at nearby High Lane Library on Fridays between 10am to 4pm. Home delivery and online services via the BorrowBox app will also continue as normal.

Once built, the new Marple Community Hub will have a brand-new ground floor library with a small café, a five-lane swimming pool, a 60-station fitness suite, shared community spaces, and the relocated Marple clinic.

Contractors, Willmott Dixon, have been on-site since September to conduct survey work ahead of the construction phase of the project, which will begin this Winter.

The project is being supported by a £20 million Capital Levelling Up grant, with the scheme also set to include a number of local active travel and highways improvements. Planning approval for the scheme was granted earlier this year following a public consultation which received over 750 responses from the local community that informed final designs for the Marple Community Hub.