WITH current facilities "needing to be modernised", the Wiltshire Council leader has suggested a site where the library could potentially move to in the future.

This comes after the Maltings site was sold to UK real estate asset manager Catella APAM for £15.5million, and the funding for the Maltings redevelopment was reallocated to the River Park scheme.

Under the original development plans, the library was set to be relocated to a mixed-use development on Fisherton Street, the former British Heart Foundation site, complete with hotel and gym.

With these plans stalled, talks have emerged about where the library services could go instead.

Discussing the future of the library, council leader Richard Clewer said it needs to be rehomed as “it is not useable in a place that needs to be redeveloped”.

He suggested the City Hall, currently a Covid-19 vaccination clinic, could become the location of a new library.

He has assured this will not replace the venue as a performing arts hub, but instead could be a service within the venue, adding to the 'cultural quarter' offering.

He said: “For now it can stay where it is, but we need a modern library. It’s no longer just about books, libraries nowadays provide all sorts of things, it really needs to be modernised.

"As much as I love sitting down with a book the borrowing service is not as frequented as it once was.”

An update about the City Hall will be given during the Salisbury Area Board meeting on Thursday, March 10, provided by David Redfern, assistant director for leisure, culture and communities.

Where do you think the library could go? Should it stay where it is? Let us know in the comments.

Get more Salisbury news. 

You can also like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter and Instagram to stay up to date, as well as signing up for one of our newsletters.

If you want online news with fewer ads, unlimited access and reader rewards - plus a chance to support our local journalism - find out more about registering or a digital subscription.

Email newsdesk@salisburyjournal.co.uk with your comments, pictures, letters and news stories.