Henley Library to stay open as is after Charles Sturt Council ‘boutique’ plan scrapped

RESIDENTS have won their fight to keep a western suburbs library open after convincing the local council to reverse its plan for a “boutique” version nearby.

Henley Library. Picture: Patrick Keam

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RESIDENTS have won their fight to keep Henley Library open after convincing Charles Sturt Council to scrap its plan for a “boutique” library closer to Henley Square.

Councillors voted on Monday night to retain the Seaview Rd library after community consultation found an “overwhelming majority of people” opposed downsizing services at a new location.

Findon Ward Cr Paul Sykes said people had “spoken loudly and clearly” about the potential closure of the “core” service.

“I had my eight-year-old (son) come up to me and ask if I was one of the councillors who wanted to close the Henley Library,” Cr Sykes told the meeting.

“I went ‘no, no of course not’, and he said ‘well, that’s good daddy because that would be a really stupid idea’, so it sort of states the obvious to us all.”

It was the council’s second backflip in a matter of days, following its decision to remove paid parking near Henley Square.

Henley Community Library Action Group spokesman Paul Laris welcomed the decision, which he hoped would start a new debate about improving the library.

“At least we have an assurance the library won’t be relocated,” Mr Laris said.

“This is really the start of the process because there is a need for change, and we see that as the physical redevelopment of the site and creating an entrance off Seaview Rd.

“It’s more than just a place to take books in and out. It’s about bringing people together and it is a place where they share information.”

The council announced plans to move the library in April, arguing it was too far from Henley Square, had a poor layout and the building had structural problems.

Residents celebrate the Henley Library staying open.

More than 200 residents signed a petition opposing the closure, with some saying it was a council attempt to save money and profit from the sale of the existing site.

Cr Jassmine Wood was “proud” of the locals who responded to the council’s consultation “in great force”.

“They made some valid points about the library and how important it was and how the Henley community come together,” Cr Wood said.

Cr Robert Randall said the council was right to dump its plan following the community backlash, but he warned it still had to “save money” on library services.
“The Henley Library cost this council $1.2 million every year to run and it costs $8.1 million to run all of our libraries,” he said.

“We missed an opportunity to shift our library into a better location because our idea was to create a contemporary space for a range of demographics.”

The council, which spent $3000 consulting residents on the plan, will now seek community feedback on ways to improve services at Henley Library.

Western Adelaide Coastal Residents Association spokesman Peter Schultz said the council could make the Wi-Fi more reliable and upgrade the building to make it more popular.

“It should be easy to increase visits to the building by increasing street signage, adding signs to all local shopping centres and make repairs to the roof,” Mr Schultz said.
“I’d also suggest dedicating two senior library staff at Henley so at least one permanent staff is present at all times and they get to know the local community.”

The council was unable to say how much the latest consultation would cost.