Rhymney Library reopening delayed until September

The reopening of Rhymney Library has been delayed, Caerphilly County Borough Council has confirmed.

The library, which is being refurbished at a cost of more than £400,000, was set to reopen in the summer.

Now, reopening has been delayed until September. 

Work first started in January this year, with the library closing fully on March 20 for a furniture refit on the first floor and extensive building work to the ground floor.

Caerphilly County Borough Council previously stated: “We anticipate the library will remain closed until June although no official reopening date has been agreed.”

Commenting on the delay, a council spokesperson said: “The project has been delayed slightly and will be reopening to the public mid-September 2023 with a provisional date set at Monday September 11. This date has been chosen in order not to clash with the start of the new school year.

“To ensure the building works, furniture fit-out, ICT equipment and the new Community Hub structure are firmly in place, CCBC wants to ensure that at the time of reopening, we will be offering all residents the best service offer available.”

While the library is closed, services are continuing to run in Bargoed and New Tredegar libraries. Online services are also available, including the order and collect service and the eDigital services.

What are the improvements?

The improvements will cost more than £400,000 with funding from the Transformation capital grant programme administered by the Welsh Government, as well as the council’s Library Service and Place Shaping fund.

The last library refurbishment happened in 2009, having first opened back in the 1970s.

In a post on Twitter, Caerphilly Libraries said the library would become “a community and support hub for residents”. 

The ground floor will be the main lending area in the library and will include a new seating area where people can come and work, as well as a place for small refreshments.

The first floor will become the ‘Idris Davies Community Learning Hub’. This will be a learning space with laptops, an interactive whiteboard and modern furniture. Three office spaces will also be available for private meetings and for residents to use. 

There will also be upgraded internet access and two electric vehicle charging points in the car park – the latter are already installed and working.