The Mayor of London is investing more than £175,000 to renovate the vacant Grade II-listed Carnegie library in Manor Park.

Boris Johnson pledged £177,534 on Tuesday to be spent on creating affordable studio workspace for the benefit of local artists, creative practitioners and makers in the former library.

The building, which was the first to be funded by the Carnegie Trust, has been vacant for more than two years after the library was moved to its new location further down Romford Road.

The money was set aside as part of a £9million funding pot for the capital, with more than £285,000 still available in the second round of the High Street Fund for community-led projects.

Mayor of London Boris Johnson said: “The imagination, enterprise and creativity of Londoners has shone through in the array of ideas that were put forward to the High Street Fund.

“London’s high streets are no longer about retail alone and I am thrilled to be supporting projects that seek to diversify and unlock opportunities in our most prized urban assets.”

For more information visit spacehive.com/initiatives/mayoroflondon.