AN outdoor screen showing sporting and cultural events will be built as part of the £27million library development in Southend town centre.

The large LED screen will be next to the new Elmer Square development, on the site of the Farringdon car park, and will show a mix of sports events like major football games, or Wimbledon, and artistic fare like the Last Night of the Proms.

In a planning application that has just been submitted, council bosses have revealed details of the £300,000, 6.2m-wide by 3.5m- high display screen which will be put up in the new public square.

Featuring a new town library, the four-storey development will be jointly paid for and shared by Southend Council, Essex University and South Essex College.

According to the plans, the display screen will be put up at the Queen’s Road end of the square, which will be laid out in front of the 90m-long building, on the High Street side.

Council bosses also want to show local events like the Southend Airshow and work by local art and theatre groups, such as Metal.

Temporary seating could be provided in the square during screenings.

The Tory councillor responsible for culture, Derek Jarvis, said: “We want to make Elmer Square a lively area for residents of the town.

“The screen is an attraction that could add to the liveliness of the area.

“It has been a fundamental part of the development since day one of the new designs. I’m very happy with the designs and hope the development control committee will see likewise.

“The three different bodies have managed to work together extremely well.”

According to the planning application, the screen would operate for a maximum of 16 hours a day, from 7am to 11pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am to 10.30pm on Sundays.

The new square will be used for “cultural and artistic events”, including gallery exhibitions, university or college performances, and council events like the Christmas lights switch-on or the Southend Film Festival.

Speakers for the screen would be placed throughout the square’s street furniture, such as benches, but the noise levels will be closely controlled.

Following talks with members of the public and planning officers, more trees and shrubs will be planted around the building, with lighting displays illuminating the bottom of it at night.

The development will feature a higher education centre for the college and more space for the university, including a lecture theatre.

The council’s development control committee will decide on the application at a meeting in mid-August.