HERE'S the first images inside a planned new £38millon south Essex super base set to roast coffee for people around the world.

The Echo revealed late last year how Costa Coffee would create a new £38million “Paradise Street” roastery in Christopher Martin Road, Basildon set to open in early 2017.

Today we can get a first look inside the place where beans will be shipped to more than 3,000 Costa cafes - in no less than 31 countries.

A video has also been released by Costa which takes viewers on a virtual tour of the factory, showing how it will look on the inside and how it will it appear from the outside.

When finished, the roastery will be the size of 30 tennis courts, and will have the capacity to make up to 45,000 tonnes of ground coffee per year, compared with 10,000 tonnes produced at its current site in Lambeth, south London.

The plant will be built on the site of the former Visteon motor part factory, which closed in 2009 and was subsequently demolished.

Costa bosses say the facility will combine “traditional roasting techniques with the very best of sophisticated, modern roasting equipment” and even providing bays for charging electric cars to solar panels.

Christopher Rogers, managing director for Costa, says work is progressing well on site, and highlighted the importance of Basildon’s role in the project.

He said: “Progress so far on-site in Basildon has been sensational and this fantastic sneak preview of the facility shows just why we are all so excited for our new ‘Paradise Street’ roastery.

"Producing the delicious coffee that our customers enjoy around the world is the cornerstone of our business and that’s why we are investing £38 million to build the new roastery.

“Basildon is set to become the centre of our UK business network – sustainably grown coffee beans will land in the UK and travel the short distance from Tilbury Docks in Essex to our new roastery.

“The project is such a fantastic opportunity for us to drive investment into the Basildon area and we look forward to being part of the local community.”

For more information, or to view the video, visit echo-news.co.uk