Ealing Central Library will be moved to a new site on top of Primark after Ealing Council approved the plans.

The library will now be housed in a smaller location and will lose 70% of its books as part of a bid to cut costs and improve its technology.

It is currently located over two floors in Ealing Broadway Shopping centre but will move to the one-floor facility on top of Primark for five years before eventually moving permanently to Perceval House.

The shopping centre's owners, British Land, will build the new library - fit with new digital facilities - which the council says will reduce its running costs from £116,445 to £28,600.

But as part of the move, approved at the cabinet meeting on Tuesday evening (July 12), the council is set to reduce the book collection from 124,000 to 37,000.

A spokesman said many of the books being removed were outdated reference books, which was a 'normal part of library stock management', while other stock will be sold or redistributed to other libraries in the borough.

According to the council, only 40% of the current two-floor library is used by the pubic and only 30% of its stock on shelves is regularly borrowed.

The new library will have meeting rooms, a lounge area and free wifi, but the current library will be turned into more retail by British Land.

Books not available from one library can be ordered from others in the borough or form other London libraries and e-books and audio books are also available.