A LIBRARY will be made smaller under plans to overhaul a shopping centre.

Morrisons supermarket plans to redevelop Peacehaven’s Meridian Centre wiith the 970sqm library moved to a 300sqm site in the newly redeveloped centre.

A planning application for the development of the project will be submitted to Lewes District Council after a consultation period for residents.

The council had initially proposed a temporary move of the library site to a 39sqm space in The Joff Youth Centre next door.

That proposal sparked a campaign to preserve current library services as residents raised concerns over the accessibility and quality of facilities available at the library and youth centre.

READ MORE: Morrisons reveals plans for Peacehaven's Meridian Centre

Planning permission for this temporary move is still approved for any point before December 2025 and could still be a possibility while the demolition and redevelopment of the Meridian Centre takes place.

The plans are expected to create 390 jobs with a “new, vibrant town centre for Peacehaven including a range of commercial, retail and community facilities – anchored by a brand new Morrisons supermarket”, according to Peacehaven Town Council.

Laurence O’Connor, district councillor for East Saltdean and Telscombe and town councillor for Telscombe, said: “The present population of Peacehaven and Telscombe would indicate a reasonable need for a 600 to 700sqm library, and the law requires proposals for a new build library to include consideration of projected demographic change.”

Peacehaven and Telscombe Library Friends, the group campaigning to preserve current library facilities, said other towns in East Sussex have much more generous library space than Morrisons is proposing.

Lewes, with a population of 17,800, has 650sqm of library space. Rye, population 9,100, has 450sqm, the same as Battle with a 5,600 population. Peacehaven and Telscombe has a population of 23,500, so the proposed 300sqm of library space is much less.