Library to open after £17m refurbishment
Andrew Turner/BBCA library will officially open in a former department store following a £17m refurbishment.
About 100 guests have been invited to mark the opening of The Place - on the site of the former Palmers shop - in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk.
The building also has a community hub and a learning centre offering diplomas, degrees, courses and community services.
Conservative councillor, Carl Smith, said: "The Place is one of the biggest regeneration projects the town has seen in recent years."
While the library has been open to the public since 6 May, Lady Dannatt MBE, Lord Lieutenant for Norfolk, is set to officially open the building at 11:30 BST.
From Wednesday, East Coast College and the University of Suffolk will be holding taster sessions for people to find out about the courses and qualifications due to be offered at the site.
Andrew Turner/BBCHead of library operations Kerry Murray said the library has already seen an increase in footfall since it opened a week ago, and the "build-up" to the official launch has "been immense".
"Customers are really excited to come back to the library," she said.
"That there's something like this invested in their town for local people, and really invigorating the town, and bringing it back to life."
The project in the five-storey building was funded with money from the government's Town Deal and Future High Streets fund, as well as the East Coast College and the University of Suffolk.
Smith said: "We are looking forward to welcoming the people of the borough to see for themselves just how impressive The Place is.
"It has been incredibly complex to completely refurbish this historic building, and I would like to thank our partners and the team at Morgan Sindall for their hard work in helping us realise our ambitions for our community."
Andrew Turner/BBCPalmers originally opened in 1837 but closed in March 2020. It was then taken over by Beales, but the company went into administration.
Great Yarmouth Borough Council bought the building in 2021 with ambitions of turning it into a community hub for the town.
The regeneration of the building aimed to preserve as many historic details as possible so visitors could learn about the town's history.
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