*/
Campaigners against proposals to develop the Treasury Building at Inner Temple have set up an online petition and Facebook page to block the move.
After examining options to create new educational facilities, the Inner Temple’s Executive Committee has proposed a scheme that will add an additional floor to the 1950s building and use two of the western rooms of the library to create a tiered auditorium. A mezzanine floor at the gallery level of the library will create a second additional storey.
A statement from the Inn said: “There is an urgent need to have educational facilities that are fit for purpose as the current bench apartments are not suitable for training purposes.”
Those opposed to the plans say they will “devastate” one of the finest law libraries in the world, that has existed since 1440, reducing the floor space by 58%, cutting the reader spaces by 50% to 49, displacing 25,000 books and closing the entire library for a year and a half while the work is done.
They prefer an option that involves adding a fourth floor to the existing Treasury Building to provide training and meeting rooms and a 99-seat auditorium.
In a letter to the Executive Committee, four masters of the Inner Temple Library expressed concern that the “radical” proposal was driven by “planned commercial enterprise” ancillary to the Inn’s chartered purpose, and had “nothing to do” with the library’s layout or function.
A final decision will be made at a specially convened meeting on 21 October.
Campaigners against proposals to develop the Treasury Building at Inner Temple have set up an online petition and Facebook page to block the move.
After examining options to create new educational facilities, the Inner Temple’s Executive Committee has proposed a scheme that will add an additional floor to the 1950s building and use two of the western rooms of the library to create a tiered auditorium. A mezzanine floor at the gallery level of the library will create a second additional storey.
A statement from the Inn said: “There is an urgent need to have educational facilities that are fit for purpose as the current bench apartments are not suitable for training purposes.”
Those opposed to the plans say they will “devastate” one of the finest law libraries in the world, that has existed since 1440, reducing the floor space by 58%, cutting the reader spaces by 50% to 49, displacing 25,000 books and closing the entire library for a year and a half while the work is done.
They prefer an option that involves adding a fourth floor to the existing Treasury Building to provide training and meeting rooms and a 99-seat auditorium.
In a letter to the Executive Committee, four masters of the Inner Temple Library expressed concern that the “radical” proposal was driven by “planned commercial enterprise” ancillary to the Inn’s chartered purpose, and had “nothing to do” with the library’s layout or function.
A final decision will be made at a specially convened meeting on 21 October.
Chair of the Bar reports back
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs
A £500 donation from AlphaBiolabs has been made to the leading UK charity tackling international parental child abduction and the movement of children across international borders
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, outlines the drug and alcohol testing options available for family law professionals, and how a new, free guide can help identify the most appropriate testing method for each specific case
By Louise Crush of Westgate Wealth Management
Marie Law, Director of Toxicology at AlphaBiolabs, examines the latest ONS data on drug misuse and its implications for toxicology testing in family law cases
The odds of success are as unforgiving as ever, but ambition clearly isn’t in short supply. David Wurtzel’s annual deep‑dive into the competition cohort shows who’s entering, who’s thriving and the trends that will define the next wave
Where to start and where to find help? Monisha Shah, Chair of the King’s Counsel Selection Panel, provides an overview of the silk selection process, debunking some myths along the way
Do chatbot providers owe a duty of care for negligent misstatements? Jasper Wong suggests that the principles applicable to humans should apply equally to machines
With gender earnings inequality at the Bar getting worse, not better, Judith Ayling KC discusses concrete solutions and collective action – including steps taken by the Personal Injuries Bar Association
There is no typical day in the life as a Supreme Court judicial assistant, says Josephine Gillingwater, and that’s what makes the role so enjoyably diverse
