Former Horndean Library could become a dentist or hub for youth charity
The future of the former Horndean Library could have been decided by the county council in a private meeting, with two businesses wanting to take the site over.
In an exempt decision which the public was excluded from, Hampshire County Council could have decided about the future of the former Horndean Library which has been closed since 2021 after the county council decided in 2020 to close eight libraries across the county to save £1.76m.
With the closure, the council put the building in Five Heads Road on sale, with a deadline for offers on October 7, 2024, and two representations showed interest in the building at a county council meeting (November 19).
King’s Arms Youth Project, a charity that helps, supports, and meets the needs of the young people of Petersfield and Alton and their surrounding villages, explained the benefits to the community if they get the site.
Richard Emmons, the trustee of the King’s Arms, said that committing the building for the support of young people “is the best value that can be obtained” for the needs of the area. Mr Emmons urged the council to take a “long-term” view and deploy the former library to a project that “really optimises” the community benefits.
“We’re not attempting this just on our own initiative; it’s in conjunction with people in the local area and actually at their request,” he said.
“We believe we have the support of the parish council, the district council, our member of parliament, local churches, Horndean Technology College and other schools and now we hope we will also have the support of the County Council in taking this venue forward.”
Larissa Mendress, from King’s Arms, said the charity built “positive, trusted long-term” relationships with young people by providing a safe, homely space where young people are empowered to make positive choices.
She explained that was the case of a boy who was “well known” by the police and the youth offending team, who struggled in school and was groomed into county lines activity, exposed to “horrendous abuse” as well as being trafficked by gangs into forced criminal labour, but that King’s Arms “empowered” him to see that “he had value”.
Mrs Mendress said: “We empowered him to see that he did matter and could be a positive contribution to his community.
“G [as she referred to him] felt empowered to dream big and know that he could make positive changes in his life. G is just one of our young people who made a transformational change for himself and our community.
“The King’s Arms present you [Hampshire County Council] with the opportunity to transform not only the lives of young people like G but also make the Horndean community safer for everyone living there.”
The second party interested in the building was a dental practice.
Dr Harpreet Kalsi, resident of Horndean, explained that its dental practice opened up in Emsworth in 2008 in a two “little” bedroom house and later expanded to the former Lloyds Bank building in Emsworth in 2016.
However, due to the increased demand for oral treatment, the dental practice saw an opportunity in the former library to expand its premises.
“As you know, the NHS is screaming out the need for oral health” he said. “It’s been on a decline recently, especially since Covid-19; access to oral health on the NHS has been limited.
“Living in Horndean, I know that access to NHS dentistry around this area is nil. There’s not a huge amount, and our current governing bodies are willing to expand our contract to potentially open this into the Horndean area, where we just need a site.”
The doctor said that the practice has been one of the leaders in delivering NHS oral health on the South Coast, with a £300,000 contract and up to 8,000 NHS patients on their list.
“This is ever growing, hence the reason why we’ve now expanded from the two surgery places into the former Lloyds bank”, he added. He says the “iconic” building and its character would be maintained if they get the site.
“Unfortunately, Portsmouth has one of the worst cases of decayed, missing, filed teeth. It’s rated one of the poorest areas for oral health. Giving this healthcare opportunity is going to be crucial for oral health. That is our main reason for hoping to get the premises, and we look forward to delivering NHS treatment into the area.”
A spokesperson for Hampshire County Council, said: “We are now progressing the necessary paperwork to complete the sale of Horndean Library.
“Further details on the sale will be available when the legal process is finalised and provided with the agreement of the buyer, however the chosen bidder has stated that the building will be used for a purpose that would deliver community benefits.
“Decisions regarding the sale of property take account of what is the best financial return for a public asset that is no longer required by the county council, to ensure the best use of taxpayer resources.
“Whilst a property is being marketed and a sale agreed, we keep certain details confidential for commercial reasons however, third parties may choose to confirm information in relation to their own interest in the sale process.”