Campbelltown Mayor Darcy Lound says the “new’’ library in the heart of the town centre could be the catalyst for an economic revival of the main street.
Speaking last night at the official opening of the library in the retail space that used to be the home of iconic Campbelltown store Spotlight, Mayor Lound said the new location would attract up to 10,000 visitors a month.
“This is a massive day for our community, bringing the library to the city centre, making it accessible for many more people in our community,’’ he said.
“It will bring a much needed economic uplift for surrounding businesses, with 10,000 people expected to visit the library each month.
“The council is committed to delivering projects that activate the city centre and build community pride – I feel this is the catalyst to kick Queen Street off.
“I am super excited about it as are all our councillors about creating another attraction in the heart of Queen Street,’’ Mayor Lound said.
“As our city grows, spaces like this will play an important role in our development.’’
Mayor Lound also thanked two local MPs who attended the opening, David Moncrieff, federal member for Hughes, and Nathan Hagarty, state member for Leppington. He also thanked all the councillors in attendance.
During his speech Mayor Lound also praised the entire team responsible for the new library.
“This is an incredible transformation, you’d have to agree,’’ he said.
He was right about that – both floors feel and look bigger than when it was a retail store. And obviously more interesting from an aesthetic point of view.
And in comparison with the old site in Hurley Street, where the library had been for more than 30 years, the new one is much, much bigger – 500 square metres bigger, actually.
And of course it is ultra modern, from the furniture to the digital tools it offers visitors.
It is actually worth visiting in its own right – its design layout is that good – as well as vast.
Which would be an amazing achievement, a converted retail store that’s now a library becoming a tourist attraction.
What a bonus that would be for Campbelltown. Either way, this library is a winner whichever way you look at it.
I don’t really see what was wrong with the old library. It was only about 30 years old and didn’t seem to have any problems. I regularly walked to and from the Queen street to the library, so I don’t think Mayor Lound’s claims really stack up. There are many other things that the Council could be focusing on rather than closing a perfectly good library.
Old library had to go to allow the construction of a private health hub, which will also bring in substantial annual revenue for council