We Make Places are working with Regenerus and community group FOCAL to support and develop their plans for taking the now closed Carnegie Library in Crosby into community ownership and re-opening it as a vital part of the neighbourhood

We have just run a series of community open days and Crosby residents and business people turned out in force to have their say on the future of one of the area’s most iconic buildings.

Despite very bad weather, 200 people attended two consultations sessions on finding a new use for the Carnegie Library which were held in the building itself.

As well as looking to the future of the architectural gem at the consultations, we invited residents to share their memories of its past to add to the bank of information on the library’s historical significance to Crosby.

The Grade II-listed Carnegie opened in 1905 and was closed in December last year after more than a century of serving local people.

Commenting on the consultation events Regenerus Chief Executive, Cate Murphy, said: “We were delighted that so many people braved the poor weather to come and tell us what they would like the Carnegie used for in the future.

“The excellent turnout showed once again that this Crosby landmark has a special place in the hearts of many local people.”

Mrs Murphy added that a wide range of ideas had been put forward, and that Regenerus and FOCAL will now be reviewing these suggestions to see which of them are most feasible.

“Our job now is to analyse the completed questionnaires and then do the ‘number crunching’ to enable us to come up with a viable action plan and business case for the future of the Carnegie.

“Thanks to the excellent attendance at the consultation sessions, local people have made a major contribution to this process and given us plenty of food for thought as we move things forward.”

You can complete a survey on the Carnegie Crosby and also keep up with their news on their website