Bath & North East Somerset Council has yet to identify a temporary home for Bath’s Central Library while its Podium building undergoes a £3 million revamp.

The council hopes to complete a project to move its One Stop Shop – where people access services in person – into the Podium within a year.

However, critics of the move say there are a number of big questions that remain unanswered, and a senior councillor has warned that finding a suitable temporary home for the library while the work is carried out “won’t be easy”.

Bath & North East Somerset Council hopes to put the project out to tender in October, with a view to the Podium reopening in July or August 2019. It is looking to temporarily relocate the library to minimise construction times and disruption to users, but has not yet identified a suitable central location.

Integrating the city’s One Stop Shop (currently in Manvers Street) into the library is set to cost £3 million, and Cabinet Member, Karen Warrington, said the programme is on track.

Speaking at Monday’s Communities, Transport and Environment Scrutiny Panel, libraries campaigner, Caroline Ambrose, said: “It’s nearly a year since the cabinet’s sudden decision to close all but three public libraries.

“This leaves us with a situation where Bath Central Library will be left to play an even bigger part in the council’s lawful obligation to provide a comprehensive library service for everyone in Bath & North East Somerset. It’s therefore never been more vital that the £3 million proposed changes are shown to strengthen, not weaken, the offer.”

Ms Ambrose said B&NES Council had not given a detailed breakdown of how the £3 million will be spent or how it will save money. She said the authority had not explained how the One Stop Shop will be integrated into the library, or given any examples of where a well-used small city library had a made a success of this kind of project.

Paul Stansall, from the Friends of Bath Podium Library, said: “We’re supportive of the library being upgraded, but not the One Stop Shop integration.

“These are two complex public services with completely different requirements. Sharing the same open-plan space will court failure.

“We don’t want a change of use to the Podium – Bath deserves a World Heritage library in the centre of the city. It also deserves a council frontline service to residents and visitors.”

Critics have previously asked how library users will be kept safe if there is an incident in the One Stop Shop.

Cllr Karen Warrington, the Cabinet Member for Transformation and Customer Services, said she understood that there were concerns, and that the integration will involve a full appraisal of the security, entrances and exits.

She said clients have been evacuated from the One Stop Shop’s current location in Manvers Street “for their own safety” but the incident related to the police enquiry desk – which is not moving to the Podium.

Cllr Warrington said the council’s One Stop Shop facilities had successfully integrated into the libraries in Keynsham and Midsomer Norton, and there was no reason Bath could not do the same.

She added: “The whole programme remains on track to meet the objectives and deliver the savings as per the cabinet papers last year. The design work is complete. The visuals are on the website with the exception of the floor plan, which we will take out to tender in October.

“Feedback has been positive. Most said we have listened, and the design looks exciting while addressing their concerns. We are looking to find a secure temporary location for the library. It’s not going to be easy.

“We will look to do that for the duration of the works to minimise the construction period and the disruption to the public. The current plan is that work will start early in the New Year and be complete by July or August 2019, but that will depend on when a contractor is appointed.”

She said the development could go ahead without the need for a full planning application, as the use will not change. The application for a “certificate of lawfulness” should be on the council’s planning portal this week.

But Cllr Richard Samuel told the meeting he understood that even without the need for a full planning application, the move would still need public consultation – and it may not be approved until December.

He said he would expect the council to have all the pieces in place before it puts a £3 million contract out to tender. A B&NES Council spokeswoman said there is no requirement to undertake a public consultation for a certificate of lawfulness.

Council papers said the library has been designed based on user needs and types of enquiries. It includes four private meeting rooms, four small acoustic pods, three large semi-private pods, six small semi-private booths and two large semi-private booths.

S. Sumner