News / KNowle West
Library reduces opening hours ‘due to anti-social behaviour’
The opening hours of a library in south Bristol have been affected for a second time “due to ongoing anti-social behaviour”.
A notice outside Filwood Library in Knowle West says it will operate on reduced opening times until April 1.
The facility is on Filwood Broadway, which over a 12-month period recorded more incidents of anti-social behaviour than any other area in Bristol.
is needed now More than ever
A notice outside Filwood Library says its opening hours have been altered due to anti-social behaviour – photo: Charlie Watts
The library, which is home to the Filwood Chase History Society, also hosts a parent and toddler group, a knitting group and the local residents association.
It was previously temporarily closed in 2021, again due to anti-social behaviour after the police had reports of children climbing onto the roof.
Its current 1960s building could be replaced and relocated further along the Broadway under council proposals, with the current site identified as suitable for new homes.
In January, £15m in government money was secured for regenerating the Broadway, £3m of which the council has allocated for “creating space for improvements to local library services”.
The library is currently opposite the former Filwood Swimming Baths site, which is set to have a ball court removed from it to make room for 29 homes.
In June 2022, a local campaigner started to create his own youth facilities at the old pool site without permission – but stopped doing so after he says youths set fire to his work.
The old cinema on the Broadway, which is controversially being demolished to make way for 30 homes, has also attracted anti-social behaviour while it lay abandoned.
And in November 2022, a charity shop was hit by fire, which eyewitnesses told Bristol24/7 was started by a group of youths who set alight a bag of donations left outside the shop.
Filwood Library is usually open from 11am-5pm on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. But the temporary change of hours means it is now open from 10am-3.30pm on these days.
The library does not usually open on Tuesday, Thursday or Sunday, and its Saturday opening hours – 10am-2pm – remain unchanged.
A notice outside the library originally said the change in hours will run from March 3 to March 24, but a new notice says this has been extended to April 1.
Bristol City Council was approached for comment.
Charlie Watts is reporting on Knowle West as part of Bristol24/7’s community reporter scheme, a project which aims to tell stories from areas of Bristol traditionally under-served by the mainstream media
Main photo: Charlie Watts
Read next:
- ‘We should not be denied the chance to say goodbye to our beloved cinema’
- ‘Neglected’ high street to undergo major redesign
- Concern as community hub attracts anti-social behaviour
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