It’s the start of a new chapter for a closed-down library in Bitterne Park, as a new one is due to open on the site in January.

Cobbett Road lending library has been closed since 2020.

The new volunteer-led library, which is due to open next month, will be run by local radio station Awaaz FM as part of a community hub.

Southampton City Council said: “Following review of submissions, the council has offered a lease to Awaaz FM, a long-standing local community radio station.

“Awaaz FM have committed to working with local residents and surrounding businesses to offer a facility which offers varied opportunities for local residents and new communities.

“Awaaz FM is well known for its community information broadcasting, volunteering and training programme and support work for, and with, local voluntary groups.”

The new library comes as campaigner Christine Clearkin took to the city council’s court leet in October (2023) to convince councillors to get the community asset back.

The court leet is an annual tradition in Southampton where members of the public can make ‘presentments’ to the council to be decided upon by the cabinet.

Ms Clearkin told court leet: “The residents of Bitterne Park regret the loss of their lending library – Cobbett Road Library – for the past three-and-a-half years and petition the Court Leet to support our request to the Council that our library be reopened without further delay.

Describing the benefits of the library, she went on to say: “Up until its official closure two years ago, the library was an asset to the local community, providing not only a good choice of library books for loan or reference but also a safe space, a warm space in winter, and a locus for meetings of many community groups including tai chi classes, an art group, reading groups, a toddlers’ group, as well as somewhere where school age pupils could obtain supplementary teaching in both English and maths.”

Cobbett Road lending library was taken over by charity Social Care in Action (SCIA) in 2017 after the council decided in 2016 it would only run six in the city.

However, after Covid, in 2021, SCIA was forced to step away.

At the time, the charity took to social media to say: “It is with great sadness that SCIA are no longer able to sustain the running of Cobbett Hub and Library and will cease management of it at the end of January 2021.

“It has been a privilege to serve the community around Cobbett Road Library since taking on responsibility in June 2016 and we are proud of what has been achieved by the team there.

“Leaving Cobbett Road Library has been a tough decision for the charity to make, but unfortunately an unavoidable one given the impact of COVID-19.

“We have valued the efforts of the volunteers who have supported us throughout our time there and wish them and the other patrons of the library well for the future.”