Southend United want to add homes and a cinema to its multi-million pound for a new stadium at Fossetts Farm.

Blues bosses are seeking Southend Council’s views on the proposals before a formal application is submitted for Fossetts Farm and the club’s training ground off Eastern Avenue. .

The club is asking the council to consider the “relocation of Southend United Football Club, hotel, offices, retail, cinema, residential, training ground, soccer dome and player accommodation with associated parking and landscaping”.

If the plans were to go ahead, it could mean Southend would get three cinemas, because Cineworld is set to open up on Seaway car park, off Lucy Road, in addition to the existing Odeon at the top of Southend High Street.

Ron Woodley, leader of Southend Council, was unaware the plans had gone in.

However, he said: “Ron (Martin, Blues’ chairman) has some backers whomaybe understand there’s an opportunity for three cinemas in the town.

“It’s taken us eight years to get to this point, and it may be another eight years before anything starts happening.

A scoping request is right at the start of any application.”

The Blues have had designs on Fossetts Farm for years and secured Government approval in 2008, but no work has started.

Scaled back plans for a three-sided stadium emerged in 2011, with the club saying it would be built in two phases, with a west stand to come later.

A cinema, homes and office space have never been part of any application for the new stadium.

Sainsbury’s was also set to build on the Blues’ current home, Roots Hall, but a question mark hangs over that after Prospects College sold its nearby former site to a rival supermarket.

Sainsbury’s needed that site to build the entrance to its Roots Hall store.

Sainsbury’s was one of the major bankrollers for the new stadium plans.

Graham Longley, deputy leader of Southend Council, added: “In terms of cinemas, Basildon has one at Festival Leisure and another planned for the town centre, and they work well together.

“If Ron hadn’t put on a cinema, we’d be questioning what the leisure usage would be on the site, so he’s damned if he does, damned if he doesn’t.”

Mr Martin was unable to respond to the Echo’s calls for a comment yesterday.