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Bristol City Council has taken the opportunity to maximise the potential of the former Bristol North Baths by converting it into a Health Centre and developing the car park alongside as the new Bishopston Library combined with a public WC block and ten flats above. The layout maintains 18 of the existing 23 car parking spaces in a simple court which would be an ideal venue for community events such as a farmers’ market. The design carefully mediates between the Grade II listed Baths on the left and the former Methodist Church on the right, two buildings which are each very powerful in their own right. Close consultation with the library users highlighted the need for maximum openness onto the street, in order to create a building which is inviting for people of all ages. The library is laid out on two floors connected by a large octagonal void in the floor. The rear section of the library follows the splayed shape of the site and houses the children’s area on the ground floor and the I.T. area on the first floor, both grouped around a curved open courtyard with a tree which brings light and air into the building. The library, when combined with the new Health Centre, will provide a community hub for Bishopston.