CONFUSION has broken out over district council recommendations that Epping Forest College be forced to build new sports facilities.

The college, in Borders Lane, Loughton has agreed to sell the community sports hall on its land for a private care home to help pay off the debts incurred by the construction of its new £35million campus.

But the district council has the right of first purchase on the land and has now recommended it only releases its right on condition of new sports facilities being constructed.

College principal Jeannie Wright told the Guardian last week there were now no plans to build a new sports hall as grants from the Learning and Skills Council had completely dried up.

She said: “There are many many colleges that haven't even got their new buildings finished let alone another new building planned. Those projects are simply not going to happen. The money isn't there. That's nothing to do with us.”

The college's own minutes dating back to November last year state: “The sale of the Sports Hall was crucial to the financial viability of the College in 2009.”

But the agenda to the district council's next cabinet meeting states that money from the sale of the sports hall should go: “To finance sports facilities for the benefit of Epping Forest College and, it is envisaged, the wider community.”

Epping Forest College has confirmed it had not been approached by the district council before the agenda document was drafted.

A spokesman for Epping Forest District Council said: "The Council has been in negotiations with Epping Forest College's surveyor to release the right of pre-emption on land adjoining Loughton Hall and the restrictive covenant to be replaced with a new covenant allowing the land to be used as a residential care/nursing home.

"This is to allow the sale of the land to raise money to finance new sports facilities. The negotiations have recently stalled as the College's surveyor has stated that he is seeking further instructions.

"We have not received any further details for the current hold up and are not aware of the College's intentions regarding the sports facilities."