Sevenoaks Town Council has given SCAN £4,000 and free space at the Bat & Ball Centre for a Library of Things, due early 2027. SCAN wants to know what to stock.
Sevenoaks is getting a Library of Things at the Bat & Ball Centre, where residents will be able to borrow tools, equipment and household items instead of buying them. It is due to open in early 2027.
Sevenoaks Town Council has given Sevenoaks Climate Action Network (SCAN) £4,000 in grant funding for the pilot, and space at the Bat & Ball Centre free of charge. The council said the money will pay for a core set of items to lend and for PAT testing equipment, so electrical items can be safety checked between loans.
The council said the project fits its Green Community Investment Plan.
Why a Library of Things
The idea came from the public. At SCAN’s Climate Fair at The Vine earlier this year, visitors were asked to vote for the project they most wanted to see happen. A Library of Things came top, which the council said showed “a keen interest from the local community”.
Graham Tyler and Jenny Packer, who are developing the project for SCAN, said:
“Across Sevenoaks, many households own tools and equipment that are used only occasionally. A drill may be needed for a single DIY project, a pressure washer for a few days each year, or gardening equipment for occasional seasonal work. Alongside the financial impact, unnecessary purchasing contributes to waste, increased consumption of materials and energy, and the environmental impact associated with manufacturing, transport and disposal.
“The Sevenoaks Library of Things will provide a simple way for local residents to borrow useful tools, equipment and household items when needed, rather than purchasing them outright.”
On its own page for the project, SCAN gives a pressure washer, carpet cleaner, hedge trimmer, drill and camping equipment as the sort of things people rarely use but often buy.
“A long-held ambition”
Councillor Claire Shea, Leader of Sevenoaks Town Council, said: “We have a long-held ambition to deliver a Library of Things in Sevenoaks. The work done by Sevenoaks Climate Action Network to build their own platform is remarkable. We are delighted to be able to partner with them by having the Library of Things at the Bat & Ball Centre.”
The Bat & Ball Centre is on Cramptons Road.
Tell SCAN what it should lend
Before it opens, SCAN wants to hear what people in Sevenoaks would actually borrow. Its short survey also asks how the service should run. “Rather than making those decisions on our own, we want them to be guided by the people we hope to serve,” the group says on its website.
The survey and more about the project are at sevenoakscan.org.uk/lot.
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