GRAYS Athletic FC fans are in upbeat mode after a chairman's casting vote kept their dream of a new home alive.

At Thurrock Council's planning meeting this week, councillors considered amended plans for the Ship Lane site where Grays hope to become new owners of the former Thurrock FC ground, which has not been in use for several years.

They will do so in tandem with the development of a pre delivery car inspection operation run by landowners Group One Automotive.

Permission for Group One's move to the site, which includes Grays taking over the stadium, had previously been confirmed in April 2024 after initial approval in July 2023 but technical issues with the planned development have meant changes to its design and layout needed to be made.

The amendments to the agreed permission were put to the planning committee – which gave an opportunity for opponents of the development to have another attempt at overturning permission.

It turned into a close-run thing, with planning councillors split equally on the decision – with chair Cllr Mike Fletcher using his casting vote in favour of a 'yes'.

There is a new caveat, that Group One have six months to put their proposals into action, otherwise the chief planning officer reserves the right to cancel approval.

That means things could now start to happen, with the club planning to get regeneration of the ground underway as soon as possible. At the turn of the year the club's board set a target of 2026/7 for Ship Lane's reopening.

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Ship Lane in its Thurrock FC heyday.

After the decision on Tuesday night (9 September), a board statement said: "As the variation to the plans were relatively insignificant, the planning officer recommended for the committee to approve the application and subsequently the planning committee voted in favour of the amended application.

"This now means as a football club, we can now start planning how we make Ship Lane our home for decades to come.

"We have made contact with Group One and our solicitors and hope the protracted process of transferring the stadium to us can be expedited and we can begin the renovation works as soon as we are able to secure the funding necessary to transform the derelict stadium into a vibrant home for us and our community.

"Once we have more information to share with you, our loyal supporters, we will of course provide it to you at the earliest opportunity."

The debate at the planning committee can be viewed via this link.