Lots happening in the High St over the next few weeks.

Sutton Library will be reopening again this spring after its major refurbishment.  The children’s library is being be moved downstairs to a more accessible space and create a stimulating and safe environment for children and parents to use, right next to the cafe.  The bulk of the books will be brought downstairs, where they can be viewed and borrowed more easily. Autism friendly features are being incorporated into the children’s design and there will be a dementia friendly area for adults. The existing ground floor staff toilets are being refurbished to become public toilets and baby changing facilities will also be available next to the children’s library. Currently there are no public toilets on the ground floor of the library. Improved signage will enable customers to discover everything the library has to offer and encourage people to participate in activities around the building. Improved study spaces will be provided on the middle and upper floors.

There will be a new family history centre with dedicated access to Ancestry.com, an activities space and open access for those materials that do not need to be stored under lock and key.  Fragile archive items will still be available in the search room which will be rearranged to provide more space and a more user friendly approach. The family history centre will incorporate some objects from the collections and museum cases will be positioned around the building to bring heritage to all aspects of the library offer.   The Europa gallery will move upstairs and provide a new more flexible gallery space.

A Heritage Action Zone workshop for community groups was held on Saturday 27th January 2018.  The morning sessions consisted of presentations and practical exercises (undertaken around the streets of Sutton Town Centre) examining how we can most effectively articulate the value of heritage to the local community.  An informal afternoon session included further discussion on the Borough’s historic places.  Local amenity groups were invited and found it very useful.

The archaeology work commissioned by HAZ, which is looking to see what significant archaeology there is in the town centre, is due to be completed in April.

The Housing Economy and Business Committee on 13 February will consider a report on locally listed buildings.

The Dolphin pub has been let to the Sutton Vineyard Church, so will soon be back in use again.

A planning application has come in to redevelop the New Inn in Myrtle Road.

Planning permission has been granted for a gym in the new Sainsbury’s development underneath the flats.  A consultation resulted in a lot of support from local residents for this development.

The Register Office at Russettings in Worcester Road is expected to reopen at Easter following major refurbishment and the addition of a new marriage room and conference facility.  Russettings is a large house built in 1899 in the Arts and Crafts style.  It was originally occupied by George Smith and his wife Mary, who was the sister of local benefactor Thomas Wall. Features include gabled roofs, large chimneys, bay windows, a green copper dome and a porch with a tiled roof and marble floor.

The Empire Cinema reopens with 10 screens on Friday 9 Feb