SPRINGFIELD Library has opened its doors after more than 20 years of planning.
The library on St Augustine's Way was part of a joint venture between Essex County Council and Springfield Parish Council which together raised around £1.4 million for the project.
The land was donated by the county council which paid 60 per cent of the building costs, while the parish council contributed the remaining 40 per cent.
It is the first new library to open in Essex for 25 years and will be staffed day-to-day by a team of ten volunteers, with 20 more eager helpers on the waiting list.
Around 250 people visited on the first day, reflecting the strong local support for the facility.
Library group manager Lee Shelsher, 44, said: "Today has been really busy and we know this is going to be a real resource for the community of Springfield.
"They've watched it growing and they couldn't wait for it to open."
Its completion comes more than two decades after the idea was first suggested as it was continually delayed due to a lack of funds.
In 1995, the project was estimated to cost around £650,000, but it was postponed as a result of county budget restraints.
Following Essex County Council's failed Lottery Fund bid in 2007, the future of the library was uncertain.
However, in 2009 the scheme was endorsed after public consultation and the county and parish council agreed to jointly finance the building work, which began in July last year and finished in March.
Prior to this, Springfield was the most populated place in Essex without a dedicated library to serve its residents.
Maxine Talbot, 36, a mother from Beaulieu Park who visited on the day with her three children, said: "This is great for us as we live opposite; it is so much closer than the Broomfield Road library."
The long-awaited library is at the heart of the community in the Springfield Parish Centre building, which is shared with Springfield Parish Council.
Cllr John Jowers, Essex County Council's cabinet member for libraries, communities and planning, said: "This belongs to the taxpayers of Chelmsford.
"It introduces children to something that will stand them in good stead all of their lives, and it is egalitarian – there is no bar to anyone."
