A DEVELOPMENT site once earmarked as the location for more than 1,200 homes and branded "the most important residential development outside London" is set to become a lorry park if plans are approved later this week.

Fiddlers Reach in the west of the borough used to form part of the Lion Works used by Portland Cement.

Use of the site as a cement works ceased in the 1970s after which the site was used for storage and pre-fabrication of concrete casts.

The structures and buildings associated with these were then demolished and it became part of the Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation's vision for a new riverside housing development.

The Development Corporation and the Family Mosaic Housing Association (now part of the Peabody Trust) had big plans for the site, forming a consortium that also included The East of England Development Agency.

The consortium purchased the land and aimed to provide 1,200 homes, commercial openings and public spaces. The residential development would comprise two distinct parts with the northern half mostly comprised of three storey houses and the southern part flats. The flats were planned to generally increase in height from east to west from five to 12 storeys with a 21 storey building being located in the south west corner.

It was planned the site would have up to 1,244 residential dwellings made up of 112 three and four bedroom houses, 118 studio flats, 435 one bedroomed flats, 469 two bedroomed flats and 110 three and four bedroomed flats.

The scheme failed to find favour with Thurrock Council, which had been displaced as the major planning authority by the creation of the Development Corporation. Local councillors didn't hold back in attacking the plans at a meeting.

The late Cllr Barry Palmer spoke of his concern that the development in the West Thurrock and South Stifford ward would degenerate saying "We've already ruined our river-frontage. It would become a slum, just dormitories," he said. And Cllr Andy Smith, who has also since passed away, strongly opposed the plans, labelling them "shoddy".

Despite that, the scheme was given planning approval by the Corporation but it remained a planners' pipedream when Family Mosaic pulled out, citing financial difficulties.

The land was eventually sold for £14 million by Family Mosaic and it has never been clear how much public money was lost on the deal.

Parts of the site have since been developed but now a plan comes before planning councillors this week (Thursday, 18 March) to create a truckstop for 207 vehicles, fuelling facilities, HGV wash facilities, a restaurant and wash facilities for drivers, and associated office facilities.

HGV movements from the entire Fiddlers Reach site will be limited to a maximum of 494 two-way movements per day as set out in the Transport Assessment and various accompanying correspondence, which is 247 in and 247 out movements (factoring in a 10% growth from the proposed 458 movements). A maximum of 96 of these out movements are permitted via Wouldham Road limited to vehicles accessing NuStar on Askews Farm Road, all other vehicle movements are via Hedley Road.

You can read the full presentation to councillors here.

Thurrock Nub news will be reporting on Thursday's meeting.