A square in an Basildon town centre could be renamed after the late Queen in a mark of respect to the long serving monarch.

Basildon Council will ask permission from Buckingham Palace to rename East Square after Queen Elizabeth II, who died earlier this year.

The Queen had spent 70 years on the throne and became the first monarch to celebrate a platinum jubilee. 

Councillors voted for two motions submitted by Craig Rimmer, who represents Pitsea South East, at a meeting on Thursday night.

It also included plans to replicate some of the borough’s celebrations for the platinum jubilee during King Charles III’s coronation next year.

Mr Rimmer said he had “never seen the borough so together” during the platinum jubilee and that the period of mourning after The Queen’s death was “extremely moving.”

The council will also set up set up a cross-party working group to plan for the coronation celebrations, set to take place in May 2023.

Billericay East councillor Andrew Schrader, who will chair the group, said: “Whereas some countries have written constitutions, scrawled on crumbling bits of parchment, our constitution is a living, breathing institution, personified in a human being.”

Queen Elizabeth II, The UK’s longest serving monarch, died on September 8 at Balmoral in Scotland.

The Queen came to the throne in 1952 and reigned for 70 years.

East Square has been undergoing a host of redevelopments in recent months. 

The new £25million East Square cinema complex - boasting a 10-screen Empire Cinema and a host of restaurants - is vital to Basildon Council’s plans to revitalise the town centre. 

The project has faced a host of delays during the pandemic, with bosses most recently revealing the war in Ukraine had caused supply issues with much-needed projectors. 

The complex also Nando's, Kaspa's dessert parlour and restaurant Orleto Lounge.