Bourne Community Access Point

A major change in the delivery of council services was introduced in Bourne in March 2013 with the opening of the Community Access Point at the Corn Exchange. The project carried out by South Kesteven District Council was designed to provide all town, district and county council services under one roof, including the public library which was relocated from its premises in South Street.

Construction work took one year but the cost, originally estimated at £200,000, had risen to £600,000 by the time it was complete. A blue ribbon was cut to mark the official opening on Wednesday 6th March and the public began to use the new facility the following morning at 9 am.

Martin Hill, leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said that the new centre was situated at the heart of the community and would offer a wide range of council services under one roof. "By sharing space with the district and town councils we will be saving taxpayers’ money too", he said. "We are not just maintaining services but we are improving them as well. The centre will give the library a new lease of life with longer opening hours and better parking making it easier for residents to visit.”

Linda Neal, leader of South Kesteven District Council, was equally enthusiastic. "The project has been many years in the making and just over a year in construction", she said. "But we have got there in the end. I think that the building looks fantastic and I am personally really pleased with the end result. There has been a lot of hard work to get us to this point and I am sure the town’s residents will feel this is a project that has been well worth doing.”

Until now, council services have been scattered around the town at various locations but the new one-stop amenity is expected to be far more convenient for everyone. Central to the project was moving the public library from its existing premises in South Street where it has been since 1969 although it is now a reduced service with fewer books and a loss of the old reference library and reading room. The bank of computers for public use has been retained from the old library together with a small children’s section.

There are booths for anyone who wants a private consultation on council matters and other services located there include a customer services counter where all inquiries relating to the three local authorities are initially addressed, the Register Office, relocated from West Street where people will be able to register births, marriages, civil partnerships and deaths, and the Citizen’s Advice Bureau.

The town council also has a new arrangement from that which it has enjoyed at the Town Hall where there were offices for the clerk with council meetings held in the grandeur of the old magistrates’ court. Sufficient space has now been provided at the Corn Exchange for the clerk’s office and to hold meetings in the larger of its two rooms, even on those occasions when the public are admitted for the monthly forums. The pomp and splendour of the old setting may be absent in future because the new council chamber, if that is what it may be called, is smaller and more modern, but these are changing times and although necessity is a hard taskmaster, what we now have is quite sufficient for the duties in hand.

There had been misgivings about car parking for both staff and customers but there were no problems during the first few days of opening and it was hoped that there would be none in the future although parking in Bourne is becoming more difficult with each passing month and so it is something that will need to be closely monitored.

THE FINISHED PROJECT
The complete signage was added by October (see top picture).
The official opening of new Community Access Point was held on Wednesday 6th March 2013 and it was opened to the public the following day.
SPRING FACELIFT FOR THE NEW CAP
In the spring of 2014, South Kesteven District Council accepted that the new Community Access Point was too small and the entire floor was redesigned to make better use of the available space and make it more user friendly. The customer service and library areas were re-arranged and all of the computers were moved into the main area of the library while the booths used by staff to meet with customers were also relocated in the area previously used as the computer and study area. The reshuffle meant that staff and customers were given more privacy when talking while the cramped conditions around the meet and greet area were also redesigned to create more space.

THE BACKGROUND TO THE PROJECT

The establishment of the new community access point for all council services in Bourne was first mooted by South Kesteven District Council in July 2008, mainly to accommodate the public library which would then be transferred from its location in South Street.

The original idea was to use the Town Hall for the new facility following the closure of the magistrates court earlier that year which had left the owners, Lincolnshire County Council, with a large empty space on its hands. But the council decided that this would be too costly and the building was unsuitable because of restricted access which would need the installation of a lift to make it convenient for the public, especially the disabled.

Then in November 2010, the Corn Exchange was put forward as a more ideal venue and after several months of discussion, planning permission for a scheme costing £200,000 was approved by the development control committee of South Kesteven District Council on Tuesday 10th January 2012. But by now it had become apparent that the available space was to be utilised to take far more organisations than was originally announced, thus raising fears that the council was trying to pour a quart into a pint pot.

The list of services to be housed there now included the county, district and town council offices, a customer services counter, public library, children's reading room, interview rooms, internet access points, the Citizens' Advice Bureau, kitchen, coffee room and changing rooms, the main function hall on the ground floor being unchanged.

Also in the running was the register office, then based in West Street but scheduled for closure as a cost cutting measure by Lincolnshire County Council, a police presence to enable the closure of the station office in West Road, the ambulance service which would mean shutting the existing station in South Road, and even a new set of public toilets which have been requested by the town council.

It was therefore anticipated that this would become a very crowded space while a concentration of these services would mean extra staff, most of them driving to work, and with only nine spaces reserved for users of the Corn Exchange, this also raised the question of car parking that had so far not been addressed.

In spite of these drawbacks, the council remained optimistic that it was doing the right thing, albeit driven by economic rather than practical considerations. The leader, Councillor Linda Neal (Bourne West) told the Stamford Mercury (30th December 2011): "This has got to be the way ahead because it will represent a much better deal for taxpayers as all the running costs will be shared and it will be much more convenient for local people." Two weeks later, she told The Local newspaper (13th January 2012): "The intention is for it to be a good facility for the people of Bourne. It is an opportunity to learn from and will benefit other areas of the district as well."

In March 2012, the contractor was named as Burmor Construction of Deeping St James, near Bourne, to carry out the work at a cost of £263,480 which would transform the interior of the Corn Exchange.

It was anticipated that the ground floor would house the new customer service facility, the public library and interview rooms together with a hall, kitchen and changing rooms. The main function room on the ground floor would be retained in its present role and continue to be hired out for social and other occasions. There would also be offices on the first floor for staff while the previous living accommodation used by the caretaker would be converted for use as offices and storage.

REVISED APRIL 2014

See also

How Bourne got its Corn Exchange