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Report of the Council on Phases 5 and 6 of the Stage III extension to the University Library

The COUNCIL beg leave to report to the University as follows:

1. The purpose of this Report is to inform the University of proposals for the final stages of building in the Stage III extension to the University Library and to seek approval for the construction of Phase 5 of this extension.

2. The Council has previously reported to the University on proposals for the first four phases of the Stage III extension: in July 1995 (Reporter, 1994-95, p. 1063), in January 1996 (Reporter, 1995-96, p. 365), in February 1998 (Reporter, 1997-98, p. 361), and in February 2000 (Reporter, 1999-2000, p. 414). The first phase was the construction of the Aoi Pavilion named in recognition of a generous benefaction from Mr Tadao Aoi. The second phase was a westward extension at basement level of the bookstacks of the 1971 building. The third phase was the north-west corner extension which houses the Photography Department and reading rooms for Rare Books and Manuscripts. Phase 4 comprised administration and legal deposit offices, a digital resources area, and inter-library loans and Official Publications reading rooms. Phases 1 and 2 were completed in 1998, Phase 3 was completed in September 2001, and Phase 4 was completed in February 2003.

3. The West Bookstack represents the final element (Phases 5 and 6) of a development of the University Library approved by the General Board in 1993 and endorsed by the City Council Planning Department. The proposed development is in line with the decision made at that time by the General Board and the Library Syndicate that all further extensions should be in the style of the 1934 building. The proposed extensions have, like all other phases of Stage III, been designed by the architects Harry Faulkner-Brown Howe Partnership. Phases 5 and 6 will each comprise five floors of mobile shelving and will be built over the existing westward basement extension linking the already-completed north-west and south-west corner extensions. Phase 5 will have a gross area of 2,200 sq.m. and Phase 6, which will be slightly smaller, will have a gross area of 1,950 sq.m.

4. The Library's storage problems have become acute and are rapidly becoming a crisis. Further storage space for new books and journals is already needed; if it is not ready by 2005 at the latest, the Library will have no alternative but to store material offsite and, almost certainly, make it unavailable to readers. Therefore, whilst the fund-raising campaign is in progress for the entire development, it is proposed initially to build the external shell of Phase 5, but fitting out only two and a half floors, at a cost of £5.6m. The remaining floors of Phase 5 will be fitted out, at a current cost estimated at £2m, when additional funds become available. Phase 6, which is estimated to cost approximately £6.5m at current prices, will be constructed at a later date, when additional capital and recurrent funds have been identified.

5. Of the capital cost of the initial project, £4m is being funded from the Cambridge University Press Special Fund and the balance from resources available to the Library. It is anticipated that the amount drawn down from the Special Fund will be replaced over a period of three years by further transfers into that fund by the Press.

6. The additional recurrent costs for the reduced Phase 5 scheme are expected to be in the region of £39,000 a year and the Library Syndicate have identified a source to meet this cost on a permanent basis. When fully fitted out, the recurrent cost for Phase 5 will increase to approximately £80,000 a year. The recurrent costs for Phase 6 are estimated to be approximately £68,000 a year.

7. A Planning Application and Listed Building Consent Application for Phase 5 were submitted in March 2003. These applications are not considered to be controversial or contentious as previous phases received planning permission and Listed Building Consent without difficulty. A further Report seeking approval for construction of Phase 6 will be made in due course when full funding has been identified.

8. Plans and elevations of the proposed extensions are displayed for the information of the University in the Schools Arcade.

9. The Council recommend:

I. That approval be given for the construction of the Stage III Phase 5 extension to the University Library, as described in this Report.

II. That the Treasurer be authorized to accept tenders for the works in due course, within available funding.

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Cambridge University Reporter, 11 June 2003
Copyright © 2003 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.