Stockport Central Library, closed for more than a year, is expected to become the new home of the Stockport Music Service, according to a Freedom of Information request submitted by Reform councillor Shaun Regan.
The Grade II-listed building has been shut since May 2025 after maintenance works and repairs were required. It has remained closed despite petitions and calls to reopen. Library services in the town centre have since operated from the Stockroom in the Merseyway Shopping Centre, which has attracted more than one million visitors in a year.
Councillor demands transparency
Coun Regan said he had “been pressing the council for clear answers” because the public “deserve to know what is happening to one of our most important public buildings”. He said the request revealed the council plans to renovate the library as the new home of the Stockport Music Service, currently based in Bredbury. The service works with schools, families and wider partners to provide opportunities in all areas of music education across the borough.
Coun Regan said: “I welcome the news that Central Library will be brought back into public use. Moving the Music Service into the town centre could give young musicians a fantastic new home while protecting an important part of Stockport’s heritage.
“However, I will continue pushing for the details. Residents need a clear timeline, the expected cost, an opening date and confirmation of how much public access will remain.
“We also need to know what will happen to the existing Bredbury site. Will it remain part of the service, be repurposed for another community use, be sold or left empty?
“The council must communicate better and be more transparent about its public buildings. Residents should not have to rely on Freedom of Information requests to discover whether valued community assets will be protected, converted or left to deteriorate.”
Council confirms plans
A Stockport Council spokesperson said: “Central Library is expected to become the future home of Stockport Music Service. We look forward to sharing more information with residents as plans progress.”
The move has reportedly been delayed due to the need to carefully relocate Stockport’s archive collections into a purpose-built facility in Stockroom. The archives require specialist handling and must be moved with utmost care to protect historical records about Stockport.
Previously, the Liberal Democrats, who run the council, said the central library “will remain open, publicly-owned and run as a library service” after they took control. The promise was that after Stockroom was finished, the central library would be refurbished and retain a library of 2,500 books. Previous costs for the project were touted as being in the region of £4.3m, with £2.1m spent on repairs to the building.
In June 2026, Labour MP Navendu Mishra pressed for an update on the library. He previously said: “A clear timeline for the building’s reopening is urgently needed. I recall when Labour ran Stockport council, the Stockport Liberal Democrats were openly critical of the council when plans were floated around Stockport Central Library.”
