Far More Than Seven Years of History

The process to achieve a "fit-for-purpose" library for Epsom has a long history. From 1940 until 1998, the Library had been housed in a pair of converted Victorian town houses in central Epsom with a more modern, but unattractive wooden extension to the rear. The overall space allocated for public library use was dramatically below that required for a town the size of Epsom, provision was on different levels and in a range of different rooms and the building was in poor physical condition.

The extension was constructed in 1940 as a "temporary" expedient and the Library was extended into parts of the main building around 1947 however there was always widespread acknowledgement that a replacement should be sought as a high priority. Over the years, a number of proposals to replace the Library were brought forward but they floundered because of a lack of land, opportunity or resources. At one stage, some land named the "Silver Birches" was acquired as a potential library site but plans to construct an ambitious library facility were never achieved and, increasingly, the location of the site, on the edge of the town, was judged to be inappropriate for a town centre library. The Silver Birches ultimate claim-to-fame was probably when its trees were occupied by ‘eco-warriors’ campaigning to prevent the construction of a new road on the site.

After the failure of several embryonic schemes, the provision of a new library for Epsom was the subject of a full project appraisal carried out in 1985. The findings concluded that, in view of its clear deficiencies in meeting library needs in Epsom, the existing library should be replaced, that the replacement should accord with the County Council's policy of establishing an area library in Epsom and that the scheme should be given top priority within the library capital programme. Although these decisions gave some fresh impetus to the process, it continued to be beset by frustrations. A commercial partnership with a developer for a time suggested a possible solution until the developer withdrew at a relatively late stage. A proposal by a supermarket chain to vacate its town centre building raised fresh hope and resulted in the allocation of a small capital sum to adapt the building for library purposes. Ultimately, the project fell through because the supermarket chain changed its strategy but, at least, the capital allocation was retained.

Surrey County Council and Epsom & Ewell Borough Council had enjoyed a good collaboration on a number of previous projects and were agreed that there was a high priority for a new, large library in Epsom town centre. Following the failure of the supermarket redevelopment scheme, they were beginning to explore some tentative initiatives for a joint development when the government announced its Capital Challenge pilot scheme in May 1996. Designed to encourage bids for innovative projects involving more than one tier of local government and the private sector working in partnership, it provided the perfect opportunity for the County and the Borough to develop a collaborative scheme to bring a number of related facilities together and to re-energise part of Epsom town centre.

Apart from recognising the need to have a major new central library in Epsom, the Borough Council was also interested in providing a linked range of community facilities (drop-in facility for the elderly, activity facilities for children, cardio-vascular gym, meeting and community rooms, GP's surgery). It owned a relatively unattractive wedge-shaped central site, between the railway embankment and the rear of the High Street shops, which it was using primarily as a surface car park, and which it was keen to see developed. It was a willing partner, therefore, in contributing to a bid for a new building, which would contain all of the required facilities and make much more effective and attractive use of the available site. In order to meet the government's tight deadline for the receipt of bids, a joint project team was assembled containing senior officers, service managers and planning, property, legal and financial experts from both authorities.

A detailed bid was put together within a very short time-scale for the construction of what was termed a 'Lifestyle Centre’.  In December 1996, it was learned that the bid had been successful and in January 1997, the Council authorised the inclusion of the capital expenditure arising from the Capital Challenge bid into the capital programme. A full competitive tendering process was launched following the production of an output specification and the Trevor Osborne Property Group was selected in September 1997, as the preferred private sector partner, following a detailed selection process involving staff and members from both authorities.

The Osborne scheme included an imaginative proposal to develop a range of facilities built around two attractive civic squares: The Derby Square and The Oaks Square. The scheme incorporated a public car park with over 100 spaces at basement level to be run by NCP, a number of restaurants, cafes and a wine bar surrounding the two squares on the ground floor, and the Lifestyle Centre on the 1st floor, including a substantial library and learning centre, crèche and children's play area, GP surgery, a cardio-vascular gym, a resource centre for  older people, a cafe, display and exhibition areas and multi-purpose function  rooms.  Above the Lifestyle Centre there would be a private leisure and fitness club to be run by Holmes Place. The development also included a number of residential units; all of which were let or sold in advance of completion.

The period of the next eighteen months, following the selection of the private sector partner, was inevitably a complex, time-consuming and often frustrating one as the detailed designs for the scheme were discussed and modified and all of the necessary legal, planning, contractual and financial processes were undertaken.  Unconditional agreement was finally reached on 31 March 1999 - three hours before the Government Office deadline - and work started on site on 29 April 1999. It progressed well although the wettest autumn and winter on record did hamper progress in the latter stages. The building was finally handed over in April 2001 and opened to the public in May of the same year.

The Library within The Lifestyle Centre, at 15,000 square feet, is the second largest within Surrey County Council with a book stock of around 65,000 items and generated book issues in excess of 400,000 per annum. There are over 40 networked PC's offering access to the internet and business services as well as a wide range of fiction and reference books, CD's and DVD's for both adults and children.  In addition, the Learning Centre offers recognised learning courses for individuals and groups.  The attractive lay-out was designed and fitted by Gresswell's following another competitive tendering exercise.

Access to the Library, Learning Centre and other Centre facilities is from a spacious, central concourse located on the first floor of the building. Two ground floor entrances lead up to this level via an escalator, stairs and lifts. The enquiry and reception point on the first floor takes on a pivotal role as the gateway to the Centre's numerous services and activities.  Staff at Reception welcome visitors, answer enquiries and have good knowledge of the facilities, activities and events with access to an even wider range of local and national information. 

With the innovative mix of services, it was critical to the ultimate success of the Centre that they were run in an integrated and collaborative way. Discussions between Surrey County Council and Epsom & Ewell Borough Council on these issues and the management and staffing structure necessary to support them have been productive with both Councils recognising the need to manage the range of facilities in a holistic way while ensuring that there is a clear accountability to both Councils for the effective management of the Centre. Following these discussions, it was agreed that a jointly funded post of Centre Manager would be created to look after the management, development and promotion of the whole Centre; to be appointed some months in advance of the opening. It was also agreed that the authorities would jointly fund the appointment of a small group of staff to manage the central reception area on the concourse. To achieve maximum flexibility and the most cost effective solution, these people are part of the Library staff employed under the terms and conditions of the County Council.

The Lifestyle Centre was formally named The Ebbisham (historic name for Epsom) Centre following the receipt of suggestions from the public and debate with members from both authorities. It represents a major and prestigious new development for the County Council and offers a significantly enhanced library facility for both Epsom and the surrounding area offering extensive opening hours for the public.

 The Centre also provides new and imaginative links to other community facilities both within the building and throughout the Borough.

The overall cost of the scheme was nearly £16 million of which the private developer contributed almost £10 million. Credit approvals arising from the successful Capital Challenge bid were almost £5 million while the actual capital contribution from both authorities was around £1 million. Approximately £700,000 was allocated to the library fit out and the purchase of new stock.

The management of the project has been a complex and at times frustrating one. While there is no doubt that the genuine partnership between the principal organisations has contributed so much more to the outcome than each partner could contribute in isolation, a lot of time, effort and resilience was needed to make it work. The project has been faced with a number of challenging financial, planning, legal and construction issues and there were times when it seemed unlikely that it would succeed. At the outset, both Councils agreed that it would be essential to recruit the services of outside consultants to plan and coordinate the project (Capita) and to provide appropriate construction advice. Although the involvement of external consultants inevitably added another dimension and extra cost to the project and made planning meetings somewhat unwieldy, the investment has been justified and it is unlikely that the project would have succeeded without the continued support of the consultants and the determination of the three project partners.

The Library and Learning Centre opened for business on Tuesday 8 May following an open day on Saturday 5 May, 2001 which was surprisingly well attended. The GP's surgery opened a few weeks earlier and the cardio-vascular gym and Centre café followed shortly afterwards.  Generally, the facilities have been very favourably received by all those who have visited the Centre.  This is supported by the fact that the Library registered approximately 7,000 new borrowers and received over 440,000 visitors in its first year of operation.

There can be little doubt that both councils have succeeded in creating an extremely cost-effective facility which has contributed hugely to the lifestyles of local residents and the re-generation of the town centre in Epsom therefore bearing a very real testimony to the benefits of partnership working.
 

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The Ebbisham Centre is a partnership between Epsom & Ewell Borough Council and Surrey County Council