Ambitious plans to overall a town centre with a new theatre, transport hub and thousands of homes have been revealed.

Basildon Council is set to vote on pushing through the new masterplan for the town at a meeting next Wednesday.

The proposals include moving the council officers to a more central point in town in a bid to help with footfall as well as extending the Towngate Theatre with new studios, a café and bar area.

The plans also include four thousand new homes across the town as well as a new more open and connected transport area with the bus station and train station with the possibility of a hotel next to the bus station.

Leader of the Council Gavin Callaghan said: ““This masterplan is like no other produced by this authority. It’s unrivalled in its ambition to totally re-imagine this town which has been declining for years and was voted the worst in the UK. That was the low from which it will rise to become a place we can all be proud of. That journey has begun.

"This masterplan takes into consideration the whole town centre, which we are already strategically investing in by purchasing major town centre sites. We are putting our money where our mouth is and are happy to work with the private sector to make this town centre work for everyone.”