Local and Family History Centre to move to new location

Bridgend County Borough’s main reference library is set to be relocated as plans for the development of the former Sunnyside site get underway.

The Local and Family History Centre was originally located at Coed Parc, but moved to Ty’r Ardd in 2011 when that building became unsuitable and was purchased for development by Hafod Housing.

With Linc Cymru planning to develop the Ty’r Ardd site along with the former Sunnyside council offices and magistrate’s court, the service is preparing to move to a further temporary base at Y Llynfi in Maesteg before it becomes permanently relocated at all-new premises within the newly refurbished Maesteg Town Hall.

Members of the public will be able to take advantage of new, state of the art facilities.

Cllr Dhanisha Patel, Cabinet Member for Wellbeing and Future Generations, said:

“As part of how we are meeting the challenge of dealing with vastly reduced budgets and ongoing national austerity, we are actively seeking ways of cutting costs by co-locating services instead of reducing or closing them entirely.

“By relocating the reference service to Maesteg, we can ensure that it remains available within the county borough, and that it is ultimately based within a newly-refurbished, fully accessible building that meets all future needs with the potential to be enhanced further.

“With parking located nearby and the town bus station located alongside the building, the town hall redevelopment is intended to create a state-of-the-art cultural hub that serves the county borough and beyond, and the relocation of the Local and Family History Centre will help to strengthen the long-term sustainability of library and culture services in the area.”