Orpington Library has officially reopened following its refurbishment, with many residents joining for a festive celebration on Thursday 18 December.
As residents explored new facilities and the enhanced library spaces, many enjoyed the refreshments and entertainment on offer - including a visit from Father Christmas, who brought some extra festive cheer to the children’s book readings sessions. The sessions included a range of authors, including Laura Mucha, Sandra Agard, and Nathanael Lessore, who ran a later session to launch the new teen area.
The Mayor of Bromley, Councillor Jonathan Andrews, who cut the ribbon at the celebration, said: “I was delighted to reopen Orpington Library and see the many smiling faces of residents who had come together for the occasion. This is the fourth library I have had the pleasure of reopening in my Mayoral year, and each have their unique features that help make these libraries so special to the residents who use them. Orpington Library is also a library I have fond personal memories of using, having first visited as a child myself, so it was wonderful to see today’s children and young people, alongside all generations, enjoying and making use of the library and its new facilities”.
Councillor Yvonne Bear, Executive Councillor for Renewal, Recreation and Housing, commented: “This is another success for our library refurbishment programme, as we reopen this much-loved library for Orpington ahead of Christmas. We have been delivering library repairs and improvements across the borough to ensure our libraries have the facilities needed to support residents into the future, while also cutting our future maintenance costs. We will now press ahead with creating a new home for Bromley Central Library next year.”
Alongside the festive reopening celebrations on the ground floor, residents quickly began using the first-floor library spaces to quietly read or use the computers provided. The second floor of the library is opening as a new therapeutic hub, with staff on hand at the opening to explain the council services involved. This hub will bring together the council’s Encompass, THRIVE, and Bromley Virtual School services to provide specialist fostering, therapeutic, and educational support for children and families.
An enhanced sensory room has also been provided on the ground floor, providing a welcoming space, including for autistic and other neurodivergent residents. Further improvements at the library include new flooring, upgraded lighting, a refurbished lift, and fresh furnishings. A vibrant mural by artist Alice Pattullo now brightens the children’s area, and a dedicated teen library space has been created. Externally, the brise soleil, the panels above the entrance designed to reduce sun glare, have also been refreshed.
The library continues to be operated by Greenwich Leisure Limited (GLL), the charitable social enterprise that runs all Bromley libraries.
Sally Adcock, GLL's Partnership Manager for Bromley Libraries and Historic Collections, said: “It was wonderful to welcome the local community back to enjoy the wide choice of books and activities for all ages.”
The library was refurbished as part of Bromley’s £11m borough-wide library repair programme. Works were delivered by the council’s partner contractor Longley Group, with consultants Ingleton Wood.
For more information on the library repair programme, visit www.bromley.gov.uk/LibraryRepairProgramme.
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