CHAIRMAN Cllr Tom Kelly's casting vote this evening (Thursday 21 September) meant the controversial plan for Grays Athletic to take over the former Thurrock FC ground at Ship Lane, Aveley, has been approved.

The application is for a car preparation plant, to be operated by Group 1 Automotive, with the football ground on the site to be used by Grays.

Cllr Kelly's vice chair Cllr Georgette Polley voted for it, with Cllr Paul Arnold and Lee Watson voting against.

Cllr Kelly, said: "We know the council's hit financial difficulty and we're looking at hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of businesses rates coming into the council.

"We have come out of a pandemic and currently the country's debt is 100 per cent and it's not been that bad since World War Two so we do need to encourage jobs, investment and we do need to get those debt levels down."

Cllr Watson said the 23 to 30 high-skilled jobs were not sufficient reason to put the plant with 1,224 car parking spaces "slap bang on the green belt with the Mardyke running by side and right on top of the junction 31."

She added: "Business rates do not feature in a planning application. It's nothing to do with it and shouldn't be taken into consideration.

"I will be voting against this. This is detrimental to our green belt. This is detrimental to the Mardyke, it does flood and is also a cushion to the M25."

Cllr Arnold said: "I cannot support this application with this level of destruction of the green belt for very little added benefit to the borough.

"Although it does create 30 odd jobs which is most welcome, for the level of destruction of the green belt I cannot warrant the scale of car parking for such a low level of jobs. I'm quite appalled by this. I think it's one step too far."

Cllr Polley supported the application saying there would be more support jobs and it would increase sports facilities and healthy activity in the borough.

The decision will be referred to the secretary of state for the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities for a final decision.

After the meeting Grays Athletic issued the following statement: "Grays Athletic Community Football Club are delighted with the outcome of this evening's Thurrock Council planning meeting where its members democratically ratified their decision to once again support our joint application alongside Group 1 for the former Thurrock Football Club stadium in Ship Lane.

"Grays Athletic is looking forward to the next steps in this process where we will reaffirm the club's commitment to ensuring Ship Lane will be a community use venue for the people of Thurrock for decades to come."