Greenstead Library is open in its temporary home: Mon, Tue and Thu 9am to 5.30pm, Sat to 5pm, closed 1pm to 2pm. The new library is due in early 2028.

Greenstead Library is open again, in a temporary building about 50 yards from its old home on Hawthorn Avenue, while the first phase of the £8 million Heart of Greenstead project is built. It opens on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday, and the permanent new library is due in early 2028.

Updated 5 November: we re-read Essex Library Service’s page and the hours below still stand. The library has been in its temporary home since 19 October.

Greenstead Library opening hours now

Essex Library Service lists these hours for the temporary library. It shuts for lunch from 1pm to 2pm on every day it opens.

Day Hours
Monday 9am to 1pm, 2pm to 5.30pm
Tuesday 9am to 1pm, 2pm to 5.30pm
Wednesday Closed
Thursday 9am to 1pm, 2pm to 5.30pm
Friday Closed
Saturday 9am to 1pm, 2pm to 5pm
Sunday Closed

The service says all its libraries close on bank holidays, Christmas Day, Boxing Day and New Year’s Day. This Christmas that takes out Saturday 26 December and Monday 28 December, the substitute bank holiday, here, as well as the Fridays when Greenstead is closed anyway.

Colchester City Council announced the start of work on 13 October. The project is a partnership between the city council and Essex County Council.

What the first phase builds

The plan is to bring several local services together around Greenstead Community Centre. The contractor for phase one is Carmelcrest. The council says the phase includes:

  • turning the current library building into an early years and children’s hub, due to open in spring 2027
  • an extension to Greenstead Community Centre holding a new library, a café and a Colchester Borough Homes customer contact point
  • knocking down the current Colchester Borough Homes and Family Solutions offices to make a public space

The early years hub will house Little Explorers Nursery and the Child and Family Wellbeing Service. The council calls it “a significant improvement on their current premises”.

The new library is expected to open in early 2028. The council says it will be fitted out to the same standard as recent library upgrades in Shenfield, Harwich and Colchester.

What you can do at the temporary library

The service lists the library’s address as Hawthorn Avenue, Colchester, CO4 3QE, and the council describes the temporary building as next to the old library. You can borrow and collect books there, and use:

  • WiFi and computers
  • printing, direct printing and scanning
  • photocopying (a library card is needed)
  • battery recycling
  • food caddy liners

It is a cashless library, so bring a card for anything you need to pay for.

Rhymetime carries on during the works. It moves to Elim Church, every Monday from 10am to 10.30am.

To ask the library a question, use the enquiry form on its page or ring the Essex Library Service contact centre on 0345 603 7628, Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm.

Why Greenstead

The council says the aim is to make it easier for people to reach health, employment and childcare services in one place. It lists improvements already made nearby, including traffic calming near schools and the expansion of Hawthorn GP Surgery, which it says has nearly doubled in size.

Councillor David King, the city council’s deputy leader, said: “Heart of Greenstead is about investing in people as well as buildings.” He said the council was working closely with the Greenstead Community Association, which runs the community centre.

Councillor Jeff Bray, Essex County Council’s cabinet member for regeneration, called it “a significant investment in the future of the local community”.

What it means for you

  • The library is open, but not in the old building. Go to the temporary building about 50 yards from it.
  • Expect building work around the centre until at least spring 2027, when the early years hub is due to open. The council says it will share more on the construction programme as work goes on.
  • The new library is more than a year away, in early 2028, so the portacabins will be in use for some time.

Bus routes 1 and 3 run to Greenstead. Their operator is changing: our story on Arriva’s sale to First Bus explains what happens from 20 December.

Greenstead Library questions

Is Greenstead Library open?

Yes. It reopened on 19 October 2026 in its temporary home. It opens on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9am to 5.30pm and on Saturdays from 9am to 5pm, closed from 1pm to 2pm, and it does not open on Wednesdays, Fridays or Sundays.

Where is Greenstead Library now?

In a temporary building about 50 yards from the old library on Hawthorn Avenue, CO4 3QE. The old building is being converted into the early years and children’s hub.

When will the new Greenstead Library open?

The council expects early 2028. It will be in an extension to Greenstead Community Centre, alongside a café and a Colchester Borough Homes customer contact point.