A house building firm hopes to build a new office building at a former leisure centre site in Witham, creating 50 new jobs.

Braintree Council has agreed to sell part of the Bramston Sports Centre site in Bridge Street to Persimmon Homes, which is currently based at an office block it shares with the NHS in Collingwood Road.

The centre was demolished after the new Witham Leisure Centre, which opened in August, was built in Spinks Lane, leaving a vacant 3.7-acre site.

Now, the council has agreed to sell just over one-sixth of the land to the 70-employee firm to build a 12,000 sq ft office building.

The business has now submitted a planning application to Braintree Council for a new regional office building, allowing it to expand.

Daniel Rapson, technical director at Persimmon Homes Essex, said: “This relocation provides a really exciting opportunity for us to grow as we continue to expand our workforce in this region.

“We hope that planning permission will be granted to allow us to stay in Witham and to accommodate for future growth.”