A new library and homes development would take around 20 months to construct, county council bosses have revealed.

Essex County Council is working on the proposals Loughton Library will include the demolition of the current building, dating from the 1970’s and construction of an enhanced library on the existing site including space for community partners, meeting rooms, events and a new outdoor learning and activity space.

The proposals also include the development of up to 38 high quality apartments, the income from which will allow Essex County Council to provide a new library at net zero cost to Essex residents - the council says.

A public consultation on the plans ran until midnight on Sunday August 1 and the council is now reviewing the responses from families and residents.

An Essex County Council spokesperson said: "The timeline is dependent on the outcome of the public consultation, further discussion with planners and the design solutions required in response.

"Indicatively we can advise that our next steps would be to submit for planning in Autumn 2021.

"If a planning application were approved in early 2022, a detailed decision including technical plans, detailed financial appraisals and construction timelines would be put to Councillors early in spring and summer 2022 "If the scheme were approved, demolition and construction would be for a period of 20 months. This is all subject to change, as is the nature of development schemes.

“The re-development of Loughton Library is an exciting project that will create a modern community asset and support our ambition to improve the library service in the area. The consultation process marked a key milestone in the project and gave residents the opportunity to provide comments and feedback to ensure the new library is reflective of their needs. The voice of the local community is vital in these projects and we are now reviewing the responses received to inform the next design iteration which we hope to submit to the planning authority later this year.”

An online meeting took take place on Monday, July 12 as part of the consultation as well as public exhibitions where the plans were viewed in person in late July at Loughton Library.