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The plan to site a centre for recovering drug addicts in the former St James St Library building in Coppermill Lane, Walthamstow, has been scrapped

5:33pm Wednesday 1st July 2009


THE former St James Street Library building will not become a drug treatment centre and is to be sold off.

Council leader Cllr Chris Robbins confirmed the library, in Coppermill Lane, is to be sold off within weeks after continued lobbying from local campaign groups.

He said: "I've asked the chief executive to dispose of the property as quickly as possible."

Cllr Robbins cited community opposition, as well as opposition from ward councillor and cabinet member for children and young people Cllr Liaquat Ali as the main reasons for the decision.

Cllr Robbins, who had previously described the centre as a "wonderful addition" to the area, said: "A facility of that sort needs a welcoming community which we clearly don't have in Coppermill Lane."

However, he was adamant that the drug treatment centre would still go ahead in a different location.

"It's a major issue for the borough," Cllr Robbins said.

"I can't leave those vulnerable people stranded without this facility."

He added that there were comparatively few potential locations for the centre and that the council may have to buy a new building.

Cllr Robbins said: "I want the opposition parties not to play politics with this one so that we can get down to some decision.

"It's going to be very, very difficult and I don't know where there's another property.

"If we have to buy it, it will cost us money we don't have."

Cllr Robbins said officers would be working over the summer to find another solution.

The decision to sell, if it goes ahead, would kill off any hope that the building will be re-opened as a library.

Janet Wright, of the St James Street Library campaign, said: "It is very sad that the new leader of the council, instead of coming up with something useful has shown a complete lack of vision , and a poverty of aspiration for the people of this area.

"It is disappointing that we have a large area with no community facilities of any kind at all.

"I am very, very disappointed but the campaign will continue."


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Dave Hall, Walthamstow says...
6:09pm Wed 1 Jul 09

So you close it, leave it empty for well over a year, see the property prices crash and then decide to sell it. Brilliant! Who masterminded that? Terry Wheeler-Deeler?
Why do we have to lose our library for ever? the community here is crying out for it. It cost buttons to run, and the librarians were lovely...

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Walthamster, Walthamstow says...
6:12pm Wed 1 Jul 09

The new council leader lost his shine pretty quickly! People oppose his stupid plans so he throws a tantrum -- "we're going to sell off your library so you'll never get it back, nyah, nyah, nyah".

What a bunch of no-hopers.
No wonder they're running around in a panic deselecting each other.

Can't wait for next year's elections.

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Techno2, Walthamstow says...
8:03pm Wed 1 Jul 09

The plot thickens: and so is the political choreography of corruption facilitated. In the crime novel I am thinking of writing about the local political scene there would have been rumours of a buyer being lined up some time back - some dodgy "training" organisation was mentioned. (Which funnily enough, there have been in reality). Presumably the company would be one which does not publish its full list of shareholders. Who it actually is doesn't matter for the plot as one look at the corrupt croney clique tells us the buyers will merely be a convenient conduit taking a cut.

The motivation for the action in the stoty is that a corrupt Labour clique know they are on their way out. It may seem cynical but they see it as a quick chance to plunder the public's assets with a little help from some of their parasitic friends. And as light relief the gang get to make the hapless local councillor look like a complete fools in the process.

No-one is laughing at the end of the novel however.

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Market walker, Walthamstow says...
9:11pm Wed 1 Jul 09

"It's my ball and if you won't play my game I'm going to take it away"

Phew, what a relief to know we have such mature thinkers in charge of our council.

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Silversurfer, Walthamstow says...
9:57pm Wed 1 Jul 09

I suppose they will allow it to be turned into flats that have no-where to put wheelie bins but on the public highway. Just like those built a few yards away behind the shop on the corner of St. James's St. & Coppermill Lane, or those in Elmfield Road E17 given the 'green light' by Cllr Matt Davis.

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Cllr Matt Davis, Chingford says...
12:08am Thu 2 Jul 09

No Silversurfer (shame you won't use your real name like I do) I do not get to "green light" anything in Waltham Forest since the Council is, badly, run by your friends in the Labour & LibDem parties and they decide what happens.

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Techno2, Walthamstow says...
1:18am Thu 2 Jul 09

Cllr Matt Davis wrote:
No Silversurfer (shame you won't use your real name like I do) I do not get to "green light" anything in Waltham Forest since the Council is, badly, run by your friends in the Labour & LibDem parties and they decide what happens.
Do you pocket the allowances despite being so totally ineffective?

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jack de large, chingford says...
7:28am Thu 2 Jul 09

If we could return to the point for a moment, look around this Borough and see how many council buildings are empty, now to be joined by James Street library and soon, Walton House old people's home. Surely this is the scandal?

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carolinem, walthamstow says...
9:57am Thu 2 Jul 09

Techno2 i am intrigued - could you possibly say what training company you are talking about? You can pm me if you would rather - stjamesstlibrary@goo
glemail.com
Cllr Robbins now has a chance to show that he is more imaginative and prepared to listen to residents, than his predecessor as council leader. A thorough survey last year showed local residents would very much welcome an appropriate development - either a library or a community centre with a library element. If you live in this part of the borough, all positive council run services (eg adult education classes, youth centres, etc) are a long bus ride away. The library was the last public centre in this area, which is why its closure caused such anger. Come on Cllr Robbins, rather than disparaging the local community as 'unwelcoming', work with us to show us that you aren't just Loakes version 2!"

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carolinem, walthamstow says...
10:02am Thu 2 Jul 09

ah techno2 apologies i have read your post again and realised that you are talking about a fictional story (its hard to tell with this council!).

still, given that this end of the borough desperately needs regenerating and since woolworths closed, there's very little to pull people down this end of the market, perhaps the council will consider a more imaginative solution than flogging the buildilng off (especially seeing as they don't seem capable of raising any money on even what should be a hugely lucrative site at the other end of the market).

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carolinem, walthamstow says...
10:04am Thu 2 Jul 09

ah techno2 apologies i have read your post again and realised that you are talking about a fictional story (its hard to tell with this council!).

still, given that this end of the borough desperately needs regenerating and since woolworths closed, there's very little to pull people down this end of the market, perhaps the council will consider a more imaginative solution than flogging the buildilng off (especially seeing as they don't seem capable of raising any money on even what should be a hugely lucrative site at the other end of the market).

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LarryTLemur, Walthamstow says...
11:49am Thu 2 Jul 09

carolinem said "ah techno2 apologies i have read your post again and realised that you are talking about a fictional story (its hard to tell with this council!)."

That's Waltham Forest for you. If someone wrote a factual account of the incompetence, dodgy deals and corruption in this place nobody outside the borough would ever believe it.

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Unity, E17 says...
12:32pm Thu 2 Jul 09

Cllr Matt Davis wrote:
No Silversurfer (shame you won't use your real name like I do) I do not get to "green light" anything in Waltham Forest since the Council is, badly, run by your friends in the Labour & LibDem parties and they decide what happens.
Why is it a shame that a "real name" isn't given ? If a real name isn't given how do you know who this person's friends are ?

However of more interest would be to know what you (and your friends if you've got any) propose should happen to the library.

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mdj, e10 says...
2:18pm Thu 2 Jul 09

A Council has powers to give away property for nothing if a demonstrable social benefit will result: this was the justification for giving away the Folly Lane playing fields to the Muslim Burial Trust (value as cemetery land: est. £2.5 million). Perhaps the campaigners could ask to be given the Coppermill Lane building for a community building and library! They couldn't fail to run it more cost-effectively, which would save the Council expenditure elsewhere.

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Techno2, Walthamstow says...
3:25pm Fri 3 Jul 09

LarryTLemur wrote:
carolinem said "ah techno2 apologies i have read your post again and realised that you are talking about a fictional story (its hard to tell with this council!)." That's Waltham Forest for you. If someone wrote a factual account of the incompetence, dodgy deals and corruption in this place nobody outside the borough would ever believe it.
They would also have to contend with the laws of libel and/ or capacity of greedy people to find ways to defend their interests.

In my novel it would be an interesting twist in the plot if the rumours were founded on conversations between councillors across party lines, which may have taken place some months prior to the recent events, maybe even prior to the ill-fated drug centre idea being floated as a canarde which would never take off- prior to the sell off.

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iffa106, Walthamstow says...
9:34pm Tue 7 Jul 09

If Cllr Chris Robbins is so keen on a centre for recovering drug addicts there is a big white building, with a fountain, in Forest Road. Perhaps space could be found in there for the addicts. It is on a bus route and fairly central to everything

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wooddragon9, Waltham Forest says...
10:54pm Tue 7 Jul 09

I agree iffa. Maybe a nice port-a-cabin in front of the fountain would be a ‘Wonderful’ addition to Waltham Forest Town Hall. Then Cllr Robbins could visit those poor vulnerable people and welcome them with open arms. Cllr Robbins you are now known as the ‘Residue’ from the proposed coppermill drug centre campaign. Can’t wait for next years elections…

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St James Street library campaigners earlier this year St James Street library campaigners earlier this year


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