A GROUP has been formed to try and breathe life into the future of East Tilbury's Coalhouse Fort following a perceived failure by Thurrock Council to support the historic site since assuming control of the venue at the turn of the year.

As exclusiveley reported on Thurrock Nub News in January a dedicated group of volunteers that had run the site for many years were cut adrift following the closure of the Coalhouse Fort Project.

The council's representative on the project was Stanford-le-Hope councillor Shane Ralph, who acknowledged the work of the veteran volunteers but said the change was essential and a bright future beckoned.

At the time he said: "I did feel for some of the volunteers who were disappointed but another project, trust or charity will be formed and many of the volunteers will be coming on it.

"The old project, for various reasons, had run its course.

"The volunteers did an incredible job of keeping the fort going and safeguarding it from decaying.

"They have put blood, sweat and tears into the fort. The fort is ready to go into its next phase of regeneration and it's exciting. The future looks amazing."

Eight months on, that 'amazing future' seems a world away according to many people who care for the historic fort, built in the 1860s to guard the lower Thames from seaborne attack.

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In July there was a renewed effort to focus attention of the fort and a group of volunteers got together after an appeal for interested people to come forward.

However, the group appears to have had little support from the council, who appear happy for the Fort's gates to remain closed and the site has become overgrown.

One volunteer contacted the council, only to be rebuffed, saying: "The old group asked if they could at least cut the grass. The answer was no from the Council."

The group of volunteers, who launched a Facebook page called Coalhouse Fort Future earlier this month, are pressing the council to get involved on a more direct basis with the site's management.

A statement on the Facebook page says: "We are a group of like-minded people who are passionate about Coalhouse Fort and want to stop it falling further into disrepair and dereliction.

"It is currently closed to the public with no regular maintenance being undertaken.

"We have expertise in managing fortifications in the UK and internationally and a wealth of experience in the charity sector.

"This important historic site needs to be urgently maintained, to protect its past and preserve its future."

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