Pevensey protesters call for library repairs

Pevensey residents have called for East Sussex County Council to reopen the village's flood-hit library at a protest on Saturday (February 20).
Pevensey protesters call for the library to be reopened SUS-160222-163915001Pevensey protesters call for the library to be reopened SUS-160222-163915001
Pevensey protesters call for the library to be reopened SUS-160222-163915001

More than 30 protesters met outside the library on Richmond Road to call on the council to begin repair works at the site.

The library has been closed since January 2015 after the building was badly damaged by extensive flooding.

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Helen Burton, of the Friends of Pevensey Bay Library, said, “There is a lot of anger about the library and about how long it has taken even to get to this point.

Helen Burton of Friends of Pevensey Library SUS-160222-163904001Helen Burton of Friends of Pevensey Library SUS-160222-163904001
Helen Burton of Friends of Pevensey Library SUS-160222-163904001

“What East Sussex needs to do is to make their decisions public.

“At this point, we need to know their schedule, what exactly is going to happen and when.”

In June last year, council chiefs promised they were working to re-open the library as soon as possible but said they would have to ensure the building was protected from future floods.

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But eight months later, little work has been undertaken at the site, leaving Pevensey Bay residents concerned for its future.

Helen Burton of Friends of Pevensey Library SUS-160222-163904001Helen Burton of Friends of Pevensey Library SUS-160222-163904001
Helen Burton of Friends of Pevensey Library SUS-160222-163904001

The council say it will be carrying out new works in the near future and was “hopeful” repair works will begin soon.

In response to the protest, an ESCC spokesman said, “We have held some discussions with the landlord of the library and we expect survey works to begin on site within the next few weeks.

“It is frustrating that it has taken so long to get to this stage, but we are hopeful that works to finally remedy the damp problems in the building can now progress speedily so that the library can once again be available to the residents of Pevensey Bay.”

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In December, the Friends of Pevensey Library applied to make the Beach Tavern pub into a asset of community value.

If successful, future owners of the pub could be stopped from selling or demolishing the building for up to six months while the community raises money to buy it.

The group hope they would be able to turn the building into a new library or other community building.

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