In Summer 2016, Haringey Council organised a public consultation on the future of Muswell Hill Library. They listed only two possible options; either the library would stay as it is, with no future budget for minor improvement works, such as a lift and accessible toilets; or Haringey could move the service entirely, to an empty site on the ground floor of the Pinnacle building at the top of Muswell Hill.
The council's preferred option was the latter, as it would allow the 'disposal' of the existing Grade II listed building, and many thousands of council leaflets were sent round to local households explaining why their preferred option, to sell off the library building, would be beneficial.
However, the result of the consultation itself was a resounding 'No', with 71% of respondents opposed to the council's plans. Consequently, last November,Haringey Council resolved to undertake a wider analysis of all the options available regarding the future of both the existing library building and the empty Pinnacle site -which is not visible from the Broadway, has little access to natural light and may not be suitable for disabled users due to its location at the very top of a steep hill. This latest 'Options Report' has now been drafted and was due to be released at the end of July. Unfortunately any public version of this document will be subject to redactions due to 'commercial confidentiality'. However, due to reasons that are still unclear, the publication has now been delayed until at least September 2017. Haringey Council have claimed that they are to seek input from local Councillors before publication -
interested readers are advised to contact their ward Councillors for further information, or to join the Friends of Muswell Hill Library by emailing friends.muswell@gmail.com
Update from the Muswell Hill and Fortis Green Association (MHFGA)
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