Help us shape a new Reading Central Library and Civic Customer Reception

Overview

It is our ambition to do everything we can to ensure that all residents, whatever their circumstances or background, can share in Reading’s success.

As part of this, we are working on exciting plans at the Council’s Civic Offices, to deliver a modern, new Central Library and redesign our customer reception and service areas.

We want to know your views on this, to make sure this redevelopment best meets the needs of you, our customers and residents.

Why your views matter

Reading Council Civic Offices

We have a vision of the new public reception to the Council and customer service centre as a safe, welcoming and accessible space for visitors and colleagues alike.

We want the space to serve as a hub for community engagement, offering support for existing and new users, alongside a professional and effective welcome for business visitors. Our goal is to provide a high-quality customer service experience that is efficient, effective and responsive to everyone’s needs.

New Central Library

Alongside this work, we are also developing exciting proposals to revitalise Reading’s cultural offer. We intend to do this by building a modern new Central Library and by transforming the much-loved Hexagon Theatre.

In January 2023, we received the fantastic news that we had been successful in our bid for the government's ‘Levelling Up’ funding, and we have been awarded £19.1 million. This includes an £8.6 million investment to rebuild Central Library at the Council’s Civic Offices in Bridge Street.

The existing Central Library on Kings Road is well-used but the dated building is set over a series of floors. This makes any major changes challenging and we cannot improve it without significant investment. A brand-new custom-built Central Library, added to the current Civic Offices site, will create a modern and open space, offering a much-improved, accessible environment for everyone. The ambition would be to create a flexible space for the whole community that embraces not only the traditional offer of books loans but looks to the future with an improved digital and learning offer.

Please help us shape the new Central Library and Civic Reception by taking 10 minutes to share your views via this short online survey.