A NEW housing estate could be created on the site of a former sports club.

Developer Bellway Homes wants to build 164 houses on the South Essex Gymnastics Club land off Cranes Farm Road, Basildon.

Spokesman Julian Kenyon said: “Our plans involve building a selection of two, three, and four-bedroom homes, plus 25 affordable homes.

“Hopefully we will commence the development this spring.”

The council has just received the planning application and full details are expected to be released to the public in the next few days.

The plans came after Basildon Council sold the gymnastic club’s land and premises – as well as Markhams Chase Leisure Centre in Laindon – to Bellway for £7.9million, as revealed in the Echo.

Basildon Council sold the sites to help pay for the £38million sporting village complex currently being built in Gloucester Park.

The gymnastics club will move into the sporting village once it is completed, hopefully by April next year.

Deputy Labour group leader Allan Davies, a ward councillor for Fryerns and Labour parliamentary candidate for Billericay, opposed the plans.

He said: “This estate development is not driven by a need for housing.

“This area of land was needlessly sold off by the Conservative council in order to contribute millions to the cost of building the regional sporting village.

“It’s clear to me the people of Basildon’s wishes are being ignored in favour of a grandiose sports complex the rest of Essex and beyond will be using.”

But Frank Tomlin, the council’s cabinet member responsible for housing who backed the sporting village, believes the area’s housing needs would be reviewed before the plans were passed.

He said: “This is a case where individual members of the development control and planning committee will make an independent decision, not based on their political party.”