Kensal Rise and Cricklewood Library to be sold to developers

Decision by All Souls College who own both buildings is a bitter blow for campaigners

Library campaigners have been dealt a bitter blow after the owners of two of the branches axed by Brent Council have announced they will not be offering them to the community.

All Souls College, which owns Kensal Rise Library in Bathurst Gardens and Cricklewood Library in Olive Road told campaigners in a meeting yesterday they were to sell the building to developers.

Members of the Friends of Kensal Rise (FOKR) Library had been desperately fundraising in an attempt to raise the �70,000 they needed for a proposal to run a community library.

They exceeded their target by around �10,000 and put a proposal to the Oxford College last month.

Campaigners from Cricklewood also put forward a similar proposal.

Margaret Bailey, a member of the FOKR campaign, told the Times the news was ‘very disappointing’.

She said: “They have rejected our proposal, and have gone a developer who wants to build flats.

However, we still plan to negotiate with both the college and developers about how we could still benefit from this.”

Last year Brent Council permanently shut down Kensal Rise and Cricklewood Libraries alongside four others and earlier this year handed control back to All Souls College, who donated the buildings to the council in 1900.