Plans to downsize Peterborough's Bretton Library to incorporate Dementia Resource Centre to be decided at meeting
Building work would not begin immediately as the sale of the current Dementia Resource Centre has fallen through.
Plans to create a new Dementia Resource Centre inside of Bretton Library are set to be decided by Peterborough City Council on Friday (February 18).
The city’s planning committee will decide on the application, which was been put forward by The Cresset Centre on Rightwell West, Bretton.
The council has revealed plans to move the city’s Dementia Resource Centre from its current home on York Road to the library.
The building work was planned to start as early as February but this will now have to be pushed back as the sale of the building has fallen through and the Dementia Resource Centre has been given permission to remain in its current home until a sale process is completed.
The downsizing process would see the library lose around half of its floorspace with the new proposed arrangement leaving the library with 351m2 of floor space, the Dementia Resource Centre 221m2 with 118m2 to be shared.
Proposed plans show that the library will occupy the lower ground floor, with space for 12 shelving units and a meeting room, as well as the majority of the upper ground floor, with a smaller section of office space given over to the Alzheimer’s Society.
The DRC has been allocated most of the ground floor for a social space, two consult rooms, two group rooms and its own toilet facilities. The library will also retain its own toilets.
The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust memory clinic will not relocate alongside the DRC and the trust in the process of agreeing a new base for the service.
The decision has been referred to the planning committee by Bretton ward councillor Scott Warren, stating that “the dementia centre will change the feel of the library and will no longer be a safe place for residents. The character of Bretton Centre will change.”
Cllr Warren added: “Bretton Library is more than just books. It’s the second most visited library in the city, even surpassing two libraries attached to schools.
“For many, it’s a lifeline—a safe space where people connect, seek support, and find a sense of belonging. It’s a refuge for those who might not otherwise have social interactions during the week or simply need a moment of peace away from life’s pressures.”
The meeting takes places at Sandmartin House at 1:30pm on Tuesday (February 18).