A HOUSING project that will bring new affordable homes to Thurrock has been approved.

Thurrock Council's planning committee gave the green light to demolish three blocks of flats containing 36 homes on a run-down estate in Teviot Avenue and replace them with 48 new homes.

At a meeting of Thurrock's planning committee on Tuesday (9 July), Jake Farmer, associate planner at DLB Planning, acting on behalf of Thurrock Council, said: "The primary aim of this development is to address the pressing need for affordable housing in Thurrock.

"The new development will not only provide more dwellings but also improve the quality and range of housing available for rent."

The council has set aside £1 million to buy out leaseholders and £320,000 to help relocate tenants.

The new homes will be a mix of two, three and four-bedroom 30 houses and 18 one and two-bedroom flats.

All of the flats will have their own amenity spaces and all of the houses are designed with their own private gardens. All of the homes will be affordable.

There will also be communal play areas and "social corners" in the scheme.

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Speaking at the meeting, Cllr Steve Liddiard said: "This is absolutely marvellous. I've been to the estate recently and did see the poor condition of these blocks. The sooner we get the new houses the better."

Jacqui Maney, Conservative Councillor for Aveley and Uplands, added: "It's a good development and we desperately need it."

Gary Byrne, Independent councillor for The Homesteads also welcomed the scheme. He said: "This is great. It's what we need, to develop something that's already there and improve it before we look at taking away from the green belt and brown field sites. To put more into what we've got, that's a no brainer."

Cllr Michael Fletcher, chairman of the committee, abstained from the vote over concerns over inadequate parking in the scheme which could impact surrounding roads.

The proposals involve building two main blocks in the middle of the site which would house the apartments and in the case of a block at the north, would be attached to a house on each site.

The remainder of the site will have pairs of semi-detached homes, with a single detached house in the south-eastern corner. The houses will be two-storey with pitched roofs and the apartment buildings will be three-storey with parapet roof features.