Wickford Library is set to move into new premises in a land deal involving the redevelopment of its current site into more than 30 flats.

The plans would also see the relocation of the community centre from the town centre.

Developers are looking to turn the library and community centre, together with the front of the car park, into flats.

They would then build a new community centre in Nevendon Park and relocate the library to Unit 8 within Willowdale Shopping Centre where HSBC used to stand.

Essex County Council says that Wickford Library, which is located on a county council freehold site in Market Road, is in fair condition for its age but will require investment in maintenance in the building fabric and systems in the near future.

In addition, the area around the library has been partially regenerated in the past ten years but the library, adjacent to the community centre and owned by Basildon Council, as well as the area to the rear of the shopping centre, are unimproved and ugly.

The owners of the adjacent Willowdale Shopping Centre propose to take over the ownership of county and borough council sites in order to develop them as residential units and undertake further works to the existing shopping centre to improve the town centre offer.

In return, they have offered to part-fund a replacement community centre for Basildon Council and a new library within the refurbished Willowdale Shopping Centre, in close proximity to the current location.

Wickford councillor for Basildon Council, Malcolm Buckley, said: “As far as the library is concerned I’m relaxed about it – the current library is in a prefab which is nearing the end of its life.

“What has happened is use of libraries have changed quite dramatically.

“Relatively few people go out to borrow two, three, or four books but now people use it as a reference place and read media.

“It also can be used for digital resources and in a smaller premises with more modern amenities it should be easier to access that.

“I think by modernising it we can reach more people.”

He added: “They want to build flats to link in with their existing development and I’m of the view that any development there, given that it’s just across the road from the doctors surgery, from Barclays and the health centre, it’s not a residential area, so it should have something on the ground floor.

“I’m not 100 per cent happy with the community centre moving out of the town centre but that may be the price we have to pay to have the refurbishment.

“My reservations are really about the flats on the ground floor. There should be something commercial.

“Retail probably not but personally I would like to see it used to relocate the doctors.”

Essex Council has been authorised to enter into arrangements for the sale of its freehold land at Wickford Library in exchange for the acquisition of a lease for a replacement library facility in Wickford town centre, subject to call in.