Plans to relocate North Kensington Library have been shelved, the leader of the council has revealed.

It will remain in its current Ladbroke Grove location and not move to a purpose-built location a short distance away, Elizabeth Campbell said.

She broke the news in a statement on the cost of the Grenfell Tower fire recovery, in which she announced the council would be spending £155m on homes for survivors and victims of the tragedy.

The local authority had faced fierce opposition over its plans to move the library from its home for the past 126 years, to Lancaster Road.

The vacated Victorian building was to be leased to Notting Hill Prep School, while a new library would have opened in a development also including a youth centre.

It led to the council being accused of asset-stripping and a 'Public not Private' movement which culminated in the occupancy of the council chamber during a meeting in 2016.

A CGI of the building which was to house the new library

It is unclear what impact the U-turn will have on the prep school or youth centre.

Cllr Campbell said the move would save £17m, which would instead be spent on Grenfell recovery efforts.

A banner at the protest outside North Kensington Library

She said: “We’ve listened to communities, and we are reallocating funding where we think it will have the least impact – for example we have dropped plans to move the North Kensington Library in line with what residents want and will be channelling that £17m straight into the recovery efforts.”

A council spokesperson elaborated: “We will need to review this whole project, meet with the community and those involved in the project before making any further decisions.

“But the plan in its current form is dropped and the money earmarked will be moved to the Grenfell recovery effort.”

Placards used during the demonstration which started outside North Kensington Library

Jennifer Nadel is a local resident and Green Party candidate who opposed the council plans for the library.

She said: “We are delighted that the council has finally listened, but we are very aware that it is only after the tragedy at Grenfell that they have decided to do the right thing.

“And we are still waiting for a guarantee that it will be held as a library in perpetuity, not just until the next change of administration or the next financial squeeze.

"In addition, we are all very aware that other irreplaceable community assets remain under threat - like our much valued FE [further education] college in Wornington Road.”

North Kensington Library

The council had initially hoped the the new library facility would open in 2019.

It had argued the Ladbroke Grove building, once regarded as “one of London’s finest public libraries”, failed to meet modern requirements.

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