The library, which has been operating since 2012, will be in its new base in 88 Old Church Road by summer 2026, reports Sebastian Mann, Local Democracy Reporter

Patrons and volunteers at South Chingford Community Library, Credit: Waltham Forest Council

South Chingford Community Library has been saved after more than two years of uncertainty.

The library, run by a committee of volunteers, will relocate from Chingford Mount Road to Old Church Road as part of a new agreement with Waltham Forest Council.

The library, which has been operating since 2012, will be in its new base at 88 Old Church Road “by next summer,” top councillors say.

Its future was cast into doubt in September 2023 when the council stopped paying its rent, around 14 months after its 15-year lease on the building had ended.

The landlord has since indicated he wanted to repurpose the building into commercial property, the council says.

Richard Aspen, the trustee chairman, said: “We’ve gradually built things up over here, but now this building is going to be redeveloped so we have to move elsewhere.

“But we’re delighted that the council found us a new place to go to up in Old Church Road – the building with a mural on the side. It’s an exciting opportunity for us because we’re going to be able to design our own library exactly as we’d like to do it.”

The library will move into 88 Old Church Road, which used to house a launderette, next summer, Credit: Google Streetview

The town hall supplied the library with more than £500,000 over five years, but said it could not enter an agreement with the new landlord.

The decision to stop paying the rent was branded a “betrayal” by top volunteers last March, who felt they were being callously “driven out”.

This bitterness gave way to relief when the council confirmed in May they would pay another year’s rent, covering the first half of a new two-year lease. It will the library’s duty to pay for the second year.

One volunteer said, ahead of the June deadline: He added: “We were starting to run out of time. If we lent a book out on Monday [3rd June], would we have said bring it back in July or just keep it, because we won’t be here?”

The council confirmed the library had been saved in a release dated last week.

Councillor Ros Doré, the cabinet member for culture, libraries, sport and leisure, said: “This volunteer-run community library is an amazing resource in South Chingford, from Toddler Rhyme Time to Steps Into Work to the poetry reading group and, of course, being able to borrow books.

“By next summer, we’ll be in our new home just up the road, but will still be very much part of the South Chingford community.

“A massive thank you to Richard, the incredible volunteers at the library, our loyal community members, and to the council staff who’ve worked really hard together to secure the future of our South Chingford Community Library.”

Iain Duncan Smith, the Conservative MP for Chingford and Wood Green, previously called it a “model” library that the council should “learn from,” and he would “fight for its continued existence”.

There are around 30 volunteers involved with the library. They run knitting groups, crafts workshops, and sessions for parents.

It relies entirely on donations, though will pay a reduced level of rent at its new home as part of a council volunteer scheme.

The library offers three tiers: the annual bronze membership, priced at £1; the seven-year-long membership for £5; and a lifetime gold membership for £10.

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