First look: Inside York’s amazing new library and community hub

This is York’s brand new library, café and community hub.

Created on the site of Burnholme Community College, four years after it closed, the bright, modern and hi-tech hub brings state-of-the-art facilities to Tang Hall.

The site is home to the new Explore Centre, which will provide a reading café, learning spaces, a local history service, free access to the internet and wifi, lending and reference library as well as space for community groups.

It costs £4.6m and is the first part of a regeneration of the site.

Nursery, clubs and more

The centre is also home to

• Burnholme Nursery
• Tang Hall SMART, which delivers clubs and activities to the local community and to the wider York area
• Activity Base services for adults living with a learning disability
• and York Community Church.

The original school hall and meeting rooms at the centre are available for hire and will also be used to host events and adult learning courses.

The Centre @ Burnholme will act as hub for the wider £40m development of the former school site, which will include older people’s accommodation, housing, a health centre and community sporting facilities.

Chief executive of Explore York Libraries and Archives said:

This year the Explore vision is ten years old, and so it is really exciting to be opening this amazing new Explore Centre that matches our provision in Acomb and the city centre.

We are looking forward to welcoming local people into the building and talking to them about how we can deliver the best services for them.

Cllr Nigel Ayre, the council’s executive member for culture, leisure and tourism, said:

The Centre@Burnholme is a fantastic facility for the local community and will provide a real hub for the wider Burnholme development.

The sensitive use of the original school building is a great example of how we can breathe new life into old buildings and I’m particularly delighted that we’re opening the newly re-located local library with all the great facilities that our modern explore centres offer.

On the menu at the reading café include a cup of Yorkshire tea (£1.60), hot chocolate (£2-£2.50) and Americano (£2-£2.40).

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