HALE residents ‘hugged’ their library in a show of support for the under-threat facility.

Hale Civic Society and the Friends of Hale Library group have mobilised in opposition against Trafford Council’s plans for the site, attracting more than 2,000 signatures of opposition via written and online petitions

“Shock, horror, anger and dismay have all manifested at the thought of losing Hale Library,” said a spokesman for Hale Civic Society.

“Numerous local organisations have joined the fight to express their anger at the possibility of losing not only a well-frequented library, but a vital community hub and an extremely well used exhibition area.”

The council have outlined three plans for Hale Library:-

Build a smaller library on the existing site with residential homes on the remainder.

Sell the site with a requirement to develop a new library elsewhere in Hale, or

Sell the site with a requirement to provide a temporary library until Altrincham’s new library is built in 2017.

The Civic Society say Hale library had more than 85,000 visits last year.

The Hale Business Association has previously warned that the reduction of services at the village library would be ‘detrimental to the viability’ of future enterprise in the area and that downsizing the facility to make room for residential homes is ‘driven by the potentially high value of the site for redevelopment’.

The council is due to discuss the three proposals for Hale Library during a meeting on March 25.