The council's libraries service select committee discussed a report giving cost and timeline estimates for the reopening of Grimsby Central Library
Ivan Morris Poxton Local Democracy Reporter
19:17, 14 Jan 2026
Grimsby Central Library is not expected to reopen until at least Spring 2029, councillors have heard. Work is continuing to progress on removal of asbestos from the plant room at the top of the building.
A North East Lincolnshire Council select committee on the future of the local libraries service met on January 14 to discuss cost and timing estimates for Grimsby Central Library's reopening. These range dependent on the level of fit-out of the library after the removal of asbestos and roof repairs.
But the timelines indicate no expected reopening until at least Spring 2029. Meanwhile, costs range from between £12.3m to £13.8m, dependent on the fit-out options.
All costs in the report account for inflation and have a 20 per cent contingency. The library closed to the public in March 2025, after water ingress and concerns over disturbance of asbestos in the building.
The select committee has previously endorsed the decision made by the council's cabinet in October 2025. This said in principle the Central Library should be re-opened, subject to confirmation of the options and costs. The report the select committee discussed on January 14 was carried out externally from the council, by WT Partnership Limited.
It looks at several options for both the internal and external works needed to bring the building back into use. Once the asbestos is removed from the plant room, there will be access to the roof. This will then be inspected and assessed to find out whether it could be repaired, or it needs to be replaced.
Options within WT Partnership's report on the future of the library building all include bringing the library back into use in the basement, ground and mezzanine floors as a minimum. External works during the refurbishment period could also include replacement of windows as well as the internal works.
The report also has outline costings to bring into use the upper floors, for office space, cultural and/or community use. The cost of removing all of the building's asbestos and the roof's replacement, and pre-tender design work before fitting out the library, is £3.9m.
The cost of removal of all asbestos from the building is just over £2m. Removal of asbestos from the plant room began in December. Only after this has been completed can the roof be inspected, though costings have assumed it will need to be replaced.
The libraries service select committee made a recommendation to the council's economic, culture and tourism scrutiny panel that to prevent further damage to the Central Library building and to provide full, safe access, the council capital funding should be agreed on an urgent basis. This would be to cover the roof's replacement, appropriate other repairs to prevent significant water entry through other openings, and asbestos removal from the full building. The select committee's recommendation included that these works "be completed on an urgent basis".
The scrutiny panel will be meeting next week at Grimsby Town Hall, on Thursday, January 22. The libraries select committee chair, Cllr Steve Holland (Independents for North East Lincolnshire Group - Freshney Ward), said: "The select committee is still gathering evidence and wants to hear as many views as possible.
"This is particularly important when deciding the future of Grimsby Central Library. We are confident at this stage that a solution can be found which preserves the heritage and unique architecture of the building but which will also make it fit-for-purpose on a practical level and it then becomes a treasured community asset for decades to come.
"The barrier will be cost of course, and that is something that needs to be collectively addressed with the aim of trying to achieve a consensus." No final decisions have been made about the library's future, yet.
People who wish to make representations to the select committee, should email democracy@nelincs.gov.uk. Individuals contacting are asked to share their contact details and, in no more than 150 words, outline the organisation they represent (if that is the case), the main points they wish to raise, and whether they would be interested in addressing the select committee in person.
Do you feel safe on the roads? You can have your say by completing the poll below or by clicking here.