Launceston Library Hub, Cornwall

The team chosen for the estimated £50,000-to-£75,000 contract will draw up plans to transform a four-storey former Barclays Bank Building into a new library facility for the historic Cornwall town.

The project will transform the disused Grade II-listed landmark into a new civic hub featuring an adult and a children’s library, a registrar service, office spaces and an information centre in the centre of Launceston.

The search for a design team comes a month after Liskeard Town Council announced a search for a consultant for the refurbishment of the Grade II*-listed Liskeard Guildhall in south-east Cornwall.

According to the brief: ‘The town council has received funding from Cornwall Council, to purchase and develop a former high street bank branch into a library and information hub, serving the town of Launceston and surrounding parishes.’

Launceston is a historic town located around 45km northeast of St Austell on the eastern fringes of Cornwall. The search for a design team comes eight months after Cornwall Council announced a new £30 million construction consultancy services framework.

Bids to deliver the latest contract will be evaluated 80 per cent on quality and 20 per cent on price. Applicants must hold employer’s liability insurance of £5 million, public liability insurance of £5 million and professional indemnity insurance of £1 million.