To present the full business case for the Shirehall as a location for the Hereford Library and Learning Centre (HLLC) and compare against the full business case for the HLLC at Maylord Orchards.

That:

a)    Cabinet approves the Shirehall as the location for Hereford Library and Learning Centre  (HLLC);

b)    The full business case (FBC) be submitted to the Stronger Towns Board with a request to transfer the funding associated with the Maylord Orchards project to Shirehall;

c)    Subject to recommendations (a) and (b), the Stronger Town grant be accepted with permission to spend the full budget allocation of up to £3.005m with all operational decisions to progress the project to conclusion delegated to the Corporate Director Community Wellbeing in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Community Services and Assets and the Deputy s151 Officer

1.     Hereford Library remains in its current temporary location – this is not recommended as the Museum Resource and Learning Centre (MRLC) on Friars Street is a temporary site whilst a new permanent location is finalised. The MRLC was funded by National Lottery Heritage Fund specifically for museum service activities and a permanent change in function may compromise the funding agreement.

2.     Hereford Library and Learning Centre (HLLC) is located at Maylord Orchards. This was the previous preferred location. 12 possible locations for the HLLC, including Maylord Orchards and Shirehall, were considered in the strategic review and presented to Cabinet in July 2023. Following this strategic review, Cabinet’s preferred option was Shirehall and a full business case for this location has been developed using the same template as for Maylord Orchards. Whilst Maylord Orchards can remain an alternative option, it is to be noted that it scores less favourably than Shirehall against these criteria