A MIDDLE East businessman wants to spend big and reopen Southend’s centre for kitesurfing and jet skiing.

The Marine Activities Centre was closed by Southend Council in December after it deemed financially unviable.

There’s been concerns that a potential buyer would change its use.

But council leader Ron Woodley revealed yesterday how an unnamed Thorpe Bay businessman with similar centres in the Middle East, was bidding to launch it again.

Speaking to the Echo, he said: “He runs a couple of these in the Middle East, in the Arab states, and he wants to do the same here.

“If it comes off, it will be very exciting, and we’ll be looking at all sorts of things which I think people will be very pleased with the outline discussions we’ve had with them.

“People want to see it flourish, and the guy with the facilities in the Middle East’s children used the Marine Activities Centre while growing up, so he wants to put something back into the town.

“For that reason I welcome this potential investment.”

Teacher and part-time windsurfing instructor Ben Storey, 27, said he was very pleased with the news, having been trained at the centre from the age of 11.

He said: “I worried about it ending up as another restaurant or café before but, if this comes off and it’s affordable, it’s fantastic news.

“There’s nowhere else on the Thames you can do this and we have one of the cleanest rivers in Europe here in Southend, and it’s just not been used since December.”

Mr Woodley added he could not go into any further details while the tendering process was ongoing, but said the facility would not go to the highest bidder, as the quality of planned provision was also central to the award.

He added: “It’s with our agents now and the final date for advertising the facility is the middle of March.

“It’s going out to competitive terms, but it’s not just about money, it’s about offering the best amenities all year and in all sorts of weather.”