Plans for a £30million library in Southend town centre have been backed by senior councillors.

The building, in Elmer Avenue, on the site of the rundown Farringdon car park, would be shared between the council, University of Essex and South Essex College.

A four to six-storey building estimated to cost between £24million to £30million is envisaged, which would contain a new digital art gallery, teaching and research areas for the college and university and a cafe, as well as the library.

The decrepit Farringdon multi-storey car park will close when the new council car park opens underneath the University Square accommodation building in London Road and it will eventually be demolished at a cost of £240,000.

Southend Council’s Tory cabinet approved the plans, including the contribution of £12.5million of council money, but all councillors will have to decide on the proposals.

Council leader Nigel Holdcroft (Con, West Leigh) said: “This continues to be a massively exciting scheme.

“It is ground-breaking for a local authority, a university and a college to be driving forward with a joint library provision of this kind.

“It will help introduce members of the general public into the academic quarter we’ve been so successful in developing.

“We will also gain a new library facility, bearing in mind how successful our library service has been in recent years.”

Eight companies have been shortlisted for building the project, with an appointment anticipated in early November and a planning application in late 2011. If approved, the scheme could be complete by November 2013.