£3m Beverley Hub plans move forward

A formal planning application has been submitted for the £3m project to transform Beverley Treasure House and Library.

East Riding of Yorkshire Council wants to create the Beverley Hub, and announced plans last August to bring several council services under one roof.

The application is for a single storey extension to the rear of the original library building together with the internalising of an external courtyard to create more library space along with various other internal alterations and general refurbishment proposals.

Consent is also sought for change of use for the addition of the customer services centre and Registrar’s Suite into the library area of the Treasure House.

A report to support the plan says: “The ambition is for this ‘Hub’ to become the vibrant heart of Beverley’s cultural offer.”

The council says feedback from the public during a consultation last year was broadly positive and Beverley Civic Society has said it is ‘supportive of these plans to improve access to public services’.

One issue which has not been as popular is the choice of name, and the council has confirmed it will put forward an alternative to the Beverley Hub.

If planning permission is granted, during the construction period, the library would relocate to temporary facilities across the road in County Hall, for a period of up to a year.

It is likely that there would be no public access to East Riding Archives during the construction, but the service would continue online, as it did during the pandemic lockdowns,