FOLLOWING considerable comment and speculation of local social media, Thurrock Council has refuted comments that suggest the Billet recreation field in Stanford-le-Hope has been sold to housing developers, though it has stopped short of saying it is not available for sale.

The comments come in the wake of the ongoing suspension of the licence for the adjacent Crooked Billet pub - which is currently under investigation by the council and its licence will be reviewed at a meeting scheduled for Monday, 10 November.

The suspension came after the Crooked Billet, on Rainbow Lane, was briefly closed in the wake of a police raid earlier this month. The pub's operators have insisted there was no criminal activity or improper discoveries made during the raid.

However, after the pub reopened and began trading as normal, the council put the pub's licence on hold saying it was investigating crime and disorder.

With the pub prohibited from selling alcohol, though it could serve soft drinks and food, the operators decided to close the bars, though the function room has stayed open and plays host to a number of local community, dance and exercise groups.

Spokesperson for the Crooked Biller, Leah Langley said: "Our hearing date is 10 November, we'll know more then. Following the suspension of the licence we could have still traded with food and soft drinks but we have choosen to close while handling this. Classes still go ahead in the function room as normal without the sale of alcohol as we've been told we can still do everything but sell alcohol. People can bring their own drinks.

"Right now we just have to get to the 10th, that is day dot for us. Once we know then we can carry on whichever route that may be."

Ms Langley has thanked members of the widespread local community for the thanks and 'love' that has been shared with the pub during recent weeks.

The council statement confirming that speculation that the recreation ground might be sold says: "The Billet Field has not been sold. It is not on a list of available assets that went before Cabinet in July. The asset on that list was the public house and not the playing fields." 

The pub itself is subject to a current lease agreement, which expires on May 1, 2025 but as part of a sale of many of its assets the council would like to dispose of the freehold of the building. The council says it should initially give the purchase opportunity to the tenants before going to the open market.

The statement about the Billet Field not 'being sold' comes just a few days when, having been quizzed about what the council might or might not sell in the wake of its current financial crisis, council leader Cllr Mark Coxshall did say "nothing is off the table''. In the absence of a statement to the contrary is is not impossible that the field might go into private ownership at some point, though it would have to be a matter discusssed by cabinet before it could happen.

In 2014 the then Labour-run cabinet agreed to sell the Billet Field to East Thurrock United FC as its possible new home but the club did not sign a deal as it was looking at a number of options.

In 2019 the club again approached the council about buying the site, accepting that its value might have gone up. It put forward a proposal for a showcase £3 million stadium and community facility built on entirely green principles.

The project, which featured state-of-the art technology including ground water heat pumps, rainwater harvesting systems and buildings created from entirely sustainable resources was rejected by the Conservative administration which had taken over the running of the council. At a cabinet meeting the council said it had taken the offer off the table. Cabinet member Cllr Mark Coxshall, who is now leader of the council, said the site had been undervalued in 2014, 'but the council now wanted value for money'.