Southend says the 1972 library building is not worth repairing. Three options are open, including a move to Ambleside Drive. Comments close on 4 October.

Southend-on-Sea City Council has opened a consultation on where Southchurch Library should be in future, and it runs until Sunday 4 October 2026 (Your Say Southend).

The library at 221 Lifstan Way is a single-storey prefabricated building that opened in 1972. It was designed to last about 25 years. A condition survey in 2023 found significant structural deterioration. The council has put the repair bill at around £250,000 for essential external works, rising to £325,000 or more once other repairs are added (Southend-on-Sea City Council).

Cabinet decided in June that spending that money would not represent value for money, and agreed the building is uneconomical to repair.

The three options

The council is not asking whether Southchurch should keep a library. It says it will keep one. It is asking where.

  • Option 1: rebuild on the current site. Library services stay at Lifstan Way, but the building is replaced or the site significantly redeveloped. The council flags the cost, the disruption during construction, and the fact that it would keep running a standalone library building.
  • Option 2: move to Southend Adult Community College, Ambleside Drive. The library would take a newly created space on the ground floor of the college. The council’s case is shared premises, lower long-term running costs and library and adult learning services under one roof. Its own list of things to consider starts with the fact that existing users would have to travel to a different place.
  • Option 3: somewhere else in the area. The council is asking residents to name alternative sites, and says any suggestion would be tested against accessibility, public transport, walking and cycling access, car parking, building suitability, disabled access, community use, cost, sustainability and the effect on library users.

How far the move would actually be

The two named sites are closer together than the wording suggests. Southchurch Library is at 221 Lifstan Way; Southend Adult Community College is on Ambleside Drive, SS1 2UP. The straight-line distance between the two postcodes is about 0.4 miles, using Ordnance Survey postcode centroids published through postcodes.io.

What does change is the ward. Lifstan Way sits in Southchurch ward. Ambleside Drive sits in Kursaal ward. So an option presented as keeping library services “in the Southchurch area” would, on the council’s own preferred alternative, put the building outside Southchurch ward.

One small thing worth knowing if you go looking for the library online: the council’s own directory record lists the postcode as SS2 2XY, which is not a postcode in use. The building is in SS1 2XY.

How this started

The consultation follows an e-petition with 395 signatures, presented to Full Council on 29 March 2026. Cabinet responded on 15 June and agreed to run a full options appraisal and an equalities impact assessment before deciding.

Cllr Kevin Robinson, cabinet member for planning, property and governance, said at the time: “There is no proposal to close Southchurch Library services, and no option being considered would result in the loss of library provision for this community, and we remain committed to maintaining our six libraries across Southend.”

Those six are Kent Elms, Leigh, Shoeburyness, Southchurch, Southend Forum and Westcliff (Southend-on-Sea City Council).

Southchurch Library: how the decision has moved Timeline. 2023, condition survey finds significant deterioration. 29 March 2026, e-petition with 395 signatures goes to Full Council. 15 June 2026, Cabinet agrees the building is uneconomical to repair. 28 August 2026, consultation opens. 4 October 2026, consultation closes. Southchurch Library: how the decision has moved Sources: Southend-on-Sea City Council news release, 18 June 2026; Your Say Southend consultation page, updated 28 August 2026 2023 Condition survey finds decay

29 Mar 2026 E-petition, 395 signatures

15 Jun 2026 Cabinet: repair is uneconomical

28 Aug 2026 Consultation opens

4 Oct 2026 Consultation closes Repair estimate for the current building: £250,000 for essential external works, £325,000+ with other repairs Graphic by Southend Today

What it means for you

  • The deadline is Sunday 4 October 2026. The survey is on the Southchurch Library Proposals page at Your Say Southend. If you would rather write, the contact given on the page is consultations@southend.gov.uk, and the named officer is Sharon Wheeler, head of libraries and physical wellbeing.
  • Naming a site counts. Option 3 exists because the council is explicitly asking for alternative locations. A suggestion with an address behind it is worth more than a general objection.
  • The library is still open while this runs. Southchurch Library opens Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, 9am to 5pm. The council warns it may close between 12pm and 2pm on some days, so ring 01702 212185 first if you are going at lunchtime.
  • Parking is part of the argument. The current site has car parking next to the library. If you use it, say so; the council lists car parking among the criteria it will judge any alternative site against. Our guide to parking in Southend covers the wider charges.
  • No decision has been made. The council says the options appraisal and the equalities impact assessment come after this consultation, not before it.

Sources