St Mary’s library is on the move to make way for a new Council Chamber in the Wesleyan Chapel.
The current Chamber in the Town Hall will be illegal after October because of a new law which says that council chambers must provide access for wheelchairs.
A reshuffle of all the Council’s buildings means the library will move to the old DSS office on Buzza Street.
And in exciting new plans, Scilly residents could see improvements to the whole Porthcressa and Buzza Street area.
The proposals, discussed by the Authority’s Best Value Review Panel as a response to the new law’s October deadline, were given the go ahead by Members at Tuesday’s Council meeting.
A report by Chief Executive Philip Hygate read: “The Wesleyan Chapel already has all of the facets of a good auditorium and meeting space. It’s acoustics are far better than the existing Chamber…Most importantly of all, it has very good disability access already. We would hope this is an interim move for the library and that the Council in the coming financial year will turn its attention to promoting the improvement of the Buzza Street area. ”
He added, “It is strongly felt by the Panel that great visual improvement and better use of the whole of the Buzza Street and Porthcressa area should be striven for. Such proposals might contain a purpose built library and affordable local housing.”
It is hoped that an improvement scheme will attract external funding.
Options are being discussed for the current Council Chamber.