Up to 500 new jobs were promised today by the first bidder to declare a hand in the high-stakes competition for Shoebury Garrison.

The key plan to revive and regenerate the derelict barracks and vast land holding was revealed as a catering college and school for hospitality training. This would be based at the historic listed former officers' mess, with courses for 200 students at a time.

Five groups are bidding for the 180-acre site currently held by the Ministry of Defence.

The first of the five to go public has revealed also that it is researching plans for:

A concert arena and open-air theatre

An equestrian centre

An eight-lane tenpin bowling alley

A reserved site for a future new school linked to the now-closed former Garrison church

A yacht club with extensive moorings and repair and maintenance facilities, but no marina because of feared silting-up problems

A state-of-the-art Royal Artillery museum

However, there would be no industrial use - and new homes would be limited to fewer than a third of the 600 suggested in a council planning brief.

The group behind this scheme has been revealed as FD Turner and FINEMS - Fully Integrated National Event Management System. It is headed by Brian Efde, of Murrels Lane, Hockley.

Mr Efde, 63, spoke to a small invited audience in Shoebury on Friday evening and distributed copies of reports and plans.

Mr Efde said: "We are to meet senior officers of Southend Council next Monday to seek yet more

answers to questions of our own before we can draw up final financial statements. We have invited the delegates I met on Friday to return to us with written comments and questions on our proposals ahead of our public meeting at the Shoeburyness Hotel on Tuesday July 20.

"We are putting all our cards on the table, face up, so that the people will know we are anxious to revive and develop the garrison site as a leisure and educational complex and open area approved by English Nature."

Mr Efde said the proposed Shoebury Academy of Hospitality Training would be aimed at outside and contract caterers, restaurants and organisers of national events. It would concentrate on health and safety and producing qualified students for all aspects of the service industry.

He added: "We believe that our plans make the best possible use of a site of rare quality and potential such as does not exist elsewhere in this country. It would be appalling to smother it with houses and factories."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.