If you happen to walk or drive past the Civic Offices on Bridge Street this week, you may notice things look a little different.
That’s because there are exciting changes in motion with the construction of with a modern new Central Library for Reading on the site of the Council’s offices, and an improved customer service area.
Work on this project actually began at the Civic Offices back in September, which you may be aware of given the fencing in place on the forecourt. The work taking place now however will have much more of an impact, albeit still a temporary one.
The main entrance to the Council’s offices on Bridge Street which you may be used to using is now closed. For the next year or so, the new way into the Civic Offices is via a temporary entrance around the back in Simmonds Street.
We know it’s different and a bit odd having an entrance to the main Council offices at the back of the building, but the temporary arrangement is needed to facilitate the building work.
If you need to access a Council service, the first port of call is our website reading.gov.uk. If you are not able to find an answer there and need to visit us to discuss something further, for now you will need to take a slightly different route, which is along the paved and lit area next to the Civic Offices from Bridge Street and onto Simmonds Street.
When you reach the entrance, which is fully accessible, you will be able to sign in on the new customer service digital check-in system. If you have an appointment, somebody will know to come and collect you. If you have a query about housing, council tax or anything else, you will placed in a queue and your number called when a member of staff becomes available.
This entrance is also for when you want to attend Council meetings. The technological norm now is to host them online which is great, but we always welcome more residents in the Council Chamber participating in local democracy.
If your reason to visit the offices is the joyous occasion of registering a baby’s birth, or tell us about notice to marry, there is a new entrance for the Registration Service on Bridge Street. There is a new path which runs alongside the Civic Centre direct to the door.
Entrance is via a buzzer and most of you will have an appointment made via reading.gov.uk/life-events. However, please try your best to be on time as late comers may be asked to make another appointment.
If are visiting for the sad occasion of registering a death, please use the same Registrars entrance.
There is no short cut through this door to the Civic Centre main entrance so please don’t attempt to use it.
So while we obviously apologise for the temporary inconvenience, which will a little strange and a little disorientating for some time yet, I don’t extend those apologies for the building of what will be a fantastic new flagship library for Reading which, when complete, will be of enormous benefit to so many people in the town.
Liz Terry is the leader of Reading Borough Council
