A COLLEGE, library and health centre will be built on the new multi-million pound Craylands and Fryerns estate.

Basildon is set for a £30million windfall following the sale of the former Fryerns School site.

The bulk of the county council cash will be spent building three centres, while £5million will go towards the proposed sports village in Gloucester Park and £4.5million spent on improving the district's roads.

Basildon MP Angela Smith told how she had fought for months for commitment from County Hall that the cash would be ploughed back into Basildon. She said: "When local facilities are sold, it is important local people get the benefits of any new and improved facilities funded by the sale.

"My worry has been the money raised would be used across Essex generally, so I pushed hard to make sure Basildon will reap the benefits and I am delighted it is happening."

Mrs Smith said it was right the bulk of the money went back into Craylands and Fryerns.

She added: "A library would be great and benefit the wider community not just for books, but access to computers and employment opportunities."

A final decision on exactly how the money will be allocated has yet to be made, but County Hall believes much of it should go to Craylands and Fryerns.

County Hall spokesman Sharon Asplin said: "All funding realised from the sale will be reinvested into Basildon.

"It will go on a range of regeneration initiatives, including the Fryerns and Craylands renewal with a new estate centre, which will include a new library and adult community college."

The county council is now in the process of selling the whole former Fryerns School site to the Government's regeneration agency, English Partnerships.

The agency has bought the school so an estate of 750 homes can be built and linked to Craylands via a new estate centre.

The Basildon Adult Community College and Primary Care Trust Craylands Clinic already on the school site will be demolished to make way for the replacements.

Swan Housing and Lovell are doing the rebuild. John Carpenter, Swan's development manager, told how the new estate would include the new medical complex to replace the existing clinic.

He added: "Work on phase one, which is the 750 homes, will begin later this year. It has been delayed from the expected start date of spring due to planning and earlier funding issues. These have now been resolved."