Central Library Move to Top Shop Building

Bromley Council have published details of the move of the Central Library to the former Top Shop building in Bromley High Street. While we continue to support the move to the Top Shop Building we are disappointed to note that the library will be closed for about 4 months while the move takes place and that the archives are likely to be unavailable for 18 months.

The move is taking place because the current building (attached to the Churchill Theatre) is being redeveloped and is likely to be closed in March 2026. The Lib Dem Councillors for Bromley Town have supported the move. We believe that having the library in the High Street and in a building with modern facilities - particularly including toilets - will be good for the High Street and good for the Library's visitors. The initial plans for the layout of the library look exciting.

However we were surprised to learn that the library will be closed for 4 months, and also that the library archives will be inaccessible for 18 months.

There was a good response to the Council's survey on what residents would like to see in a new library, with a total of 1,387 survey responses received. The priorities for what people wanted to see in the new library were toilets, more/new stock, events/activities, study space and better accessibility. In response to the question which asked people what would encourage them to use the library more, the most popular answer was ‘more children’s activities for all ages’, followed by ‘better study space’ and ‘more events’. 

Library Closure

The full Council report is available here. It tells us that the relocation of the Central Library will require a closure of approximately four months, most likely between March and June 2026. During this period a click and collect service would be offered in the town centre and library users would be signposted to the branch libraries many of which are being improved and updated. This will have the most significant impact on people who use the library to work and study, particularly as it will coincide with the exam period. Therefore consideration will be given to other quiet spaces that can be set up temporarily in the town centre for this purpose.

Archives

There have been concerns about the continuing accessibility of the bookstack/store, art store and museum store during and after the move. These are currently non-public - you have to book in advance to access them. The Council are developing plans for a suitable off site storage, and there should be no change to the accessibility of these items apart from during the move, and we'll hope to get more information about this as plans develop.

The existing archive store also needs to be moved. The Council has a statutory duty to maintain the archives and they're required to work with National Archives on this issue, and Greenwich Libraries (who run Bromley's Library Services) are required to ensure access to Local Studies and Archives during library opening hours. Unfortunately there are concerns (raised by National Archives) about the archives staying in its current location until 2026 - they Council Officers are currently considering moving the archive store into into deep storage in 2025 (i.e. a year before the new library is opened) whilst a new facility for the archives is built. This will mean that in spring 2025 the archive store is likely to be closed for access in relation to the public being able to request to see documents and public access would be more limited for a period of about 18 months given that the Bromley Historic Collections team will require time, after the new facility is ready, to move the archive back. There's a lot more work to be done on this aspect, and we'll continue to scrutinise it.