Highgate Library reopens after £1.8m refurbishment

Highgate Library, in Chester Road, Dartmouth Park, reopened on November 19 following a collaboration between Friends of Highgate Library and Camden Council.

The project planned to reduce the carbon emissions from the Grade II listed Edwardian building and ensure the space was comfortable for users.

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Work began in January and included replacing gas boilers with air source heat pumps and the library roofs which were then insulated along with the walls.

Solar photovoltaics panels have been fitted on the library roof and internal LED lighting installed, as well as secondary and double-glazing.

New railings at Highgate Library were funded by Friends of Highgate Library (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

Ventilation has been improved, a new entry lobby to reduce draughts and extensive repairs to the lathe and plaster ceilings while retaining the heritage features.

Cllr Adam Harrison, cabinet member for planning and a sustainable Camden, said the project followed a retrofit of Swiss Cottage Library.

He added: “This collaboration with the Friends of Highgate Library, at the historic Grade II listed building shows how heritage and energy conservation can go hand in hand.

“Our holistic approach to this project has been balanced with need to protect and preserve the Grade II listed status of the library.

“By undertaking this work and removing the existing gas boilers, along with introducing renewable energy sources we believe that the building can achieve net-zero emissions, with the rooftop solar panels producing as much energy over the year as is needed.

"This is particularly impressive as the library is a 118-year-old building."

The 118-year-old Highgate Library has a new entrance and double glazing as well as new heat pumps so users don't feel the cold (Image: Nathalie Raffray)

The decarbonisation plan for the library received £67,000 of funding from the Public Sector Decarbonisation Scheme in March 2023 with an additional £1.6m from different council budgets.

Cllr Harrison said the project was predicted to make savings to the library’s running costs of more than £17,000 a year and make annual carbon savings of 33 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent.

Ward councillor Anna Wright, said it was a "perfect example of Camden ambition and can-do attitude".

"The library was literally crumbling, it needed a new roof, the windows were broken so you'd sit there with the cold wind rattling past you.

"There was a joke made about how we set it up as a warm space last year and it was absolutely freezing.

"We've now got a really energy efficient, warm, comfortable library fit for the future and can be a real community space."

The Friends of Highgate Library (FOHL) also hailed the refurb.

They said: “We are absolutely delighted that Camden, unlike many local authorities, has chosen not to cut its library services but has instead adopted a policy of investment in this valuable resource.

“We have also contributed to the financing of the project by, for example, paying for the restoration of the front railings.”