At a Council meeting on Monday 9 December 2024, the majority of Councillors agreed to direct our architects to pause work on designs for the new Kew Library.

Our architects are working on designs based on demolishing the current library and rebuilding a new one (a decision which was endorsed by the previous Council on 25 March 2024). As part of the motion moved at the Council meeting, officers were asked to prepare a report on the implications of varying our architect’s contract, and to explore the following alternative options:

• an extensive refurbishment of the library
• a functional, service focused and minimal refurbishment of the library
• undertaking critical maintenance to the building only
• pausing the project for 4 years.

Officers are working on the report which is expected to be taken to a Council meeting in February 2025.

We’ll continue to keep our community informed about the project, including when the next Council meeting has been scheduled. To receive updates, visit our Kew Library redevelopment page and select ‘Follow’ at the top of the page.