In December of 2012, governors of a proposed new free school, the Cathedral Primary School (CPS), approached the Bristol City Council to lease parts of the 1960s section of the Central Library and remodel it to house the new school. The Bristol City Council declined this offer as it was considered this would remove prime functional space from the library and also impact on flexibility in the longer term. The school governors replied with a proposal to lease the two lower floors of the original Holden-designed building from the Bristol City Council, that is, the basement and subbasement stacks. These are the levels below ground floor level and are not accessed by the public so agreement was given for the school to explore this possibility. On December 5, 2013, the Bristol City Cabinet approved this proposal. The next stage is for the Department for Education to submit the Listed Building Consent application to the Local Planning Authority. The Holden Building, where the reference library is currently housed, is a Grade 1 Listed Building.
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