A YOUTH organisation is promoting the potential development of a green belt site in Thurrock as a logistics park as they stand to benefit by being donated a new spin-off facility.

Essex Boys and Girls Clubs is a registered charity working to enable young people aged 11 to 25, in Essex and East London, to reach their potential.

It was established in 1939 and is an independent county-based organisation, affiliated to the National Association of Boys and Girls Clubs.

Its members are a network of affiliated youth clubs across Essex and London. The member clubs are diverse, ranging from the small rural youth clubs with under 20 members that meet once a fortnight, to large multi-facility clubs with over 500 members and open almost 24 hours a day. 

Its projects are delivered in partnership, alongside a range of partners, including our member clubs, local schools, Essex Youth Service, Essex Police, local councils and other youth organisations.

Though its work is county wide – and there are member organisations in Thurrock - it lacks facilities in the west of the county and has been selected by the developers behind the planned Mardyke Logistics Park – a project first mooted and reported on by Thurrock Nub News in September last year as a major beneficiary should it get the green light.

All planning applications require what is known as a Section 106 contribution, which usually includes funding for essential services in local communities. Building a new facility for the Essex Boys and Girls Clubs is a key part of the developers' plan.

Member clubs of Essex Boys and Girls Clubs are now actively canvassing support from their members' families, which is likely to be included in a formal submission for planning permission – which Nub News believes will shortly be delivered to Thurrock Council.

The layout of the planned logistics park. Thurrock FC's old ground is on the right of the image

There are parallels, though the two projects are unconnected, with the current application to redevelop the former playing fields and stadium of Thurrock FC on Ship Lane for a car preparation plant – encompassing a community facility which would be a refurbished stadium to be used by Grays Athletic.

Last October Aveley FC hosted an open consultation event organised by the potential developers who wanted to give residents details of the logistics park project, That meeting was picketed by the scheme's opponents - ironically who will be using the same venue tomorrow (23 February) to host a meeting campaigning against the Ship Lane site.

That project has already met with substantial opposition from Aveley residents and green belt campaigners and many of the same people have already aligned themselves for a battle opposing Mardyke Park.

The two sites are just a few hundred yards apart and will both be subject to scrutiny by Thurrock Council's planning committee – whose members are being targeted by supporters of the protagonists in the planning battle.

Grays Athletic have garnered a large number of positive comments on the council's planning portal and Essex Boys and Girls Clubs are hoping to do the same as they seek to benefit from the planned new community facility.

Thurrock District Scouts have also been approached as beneficiaries, with the park developers offering to help improve the nearby Cherrywood scouting grounds and campsite.

The Boys and Girls Clubs' lobby is inviting its supporters to complete and return a form available via this link or a pre-set email that can be found on the organisation's webpage outlining the proposal.

Representatives of the Boys and Girls Club say: "This will be a great facility for young people in the Thurrock area to take part in new and exciting activities that'll be run by the Essex Boys and Girls Clubs. This will also be a great facility for people to use from all areas of Essex and London.

The planned logistics centre buildings.

"It's in Thurrock close to Watts Wood just off the A13

"With its location, it would be a good building to use for indoor and outdoor activities with enough in and around the area to provide opportunities for both!

"We would like you to express your support to Thurrock council to allow this to happen."

Conversely, opponents of the scheme are also marshalling their forces. Nub News recently reported on a visit to the Town Hall in Grays to deliver a petition against the Mardyke Park scheme.

One of the campaigners is Cathy Sisterson who spoke to Nub News last year, saying: "As it stands, the area is a perfect example of what can be achieved for nature by rewilding. Nature is under threat with great loss of biodiversity and many species facing extinction around the UK so we need to save what we have.

"The developers claim it is low carbon. The buildings may be operationally carbon neutral, but the construction process certainly won't be, with the embedded carbon in the concrete production, construction vehicles, building materials etc. An enormous number of trees and established shrub land - which are carbon sinks acting as Aveley's green lungs - will be destroyed. Once operational, there are 520 parking spaces included, so the number of cars, vans, lorries coming and going on a 24-hour day basis will be huge. 

Park opponents Cathy Sisterson and Teresa Webster.

"The pollution in Aveley is already high, surrounded as we are by the A13 and the M25. Increasing it still further will clearly exacerbate existing health problems. It is also not acceptable to keep on adding to the traffic problems we get at the roundabout at junction 31 of the M25 whenever there is any problem on the Dartford crossing. 

"We also question the value to Aveley of the benefits they are claiming.

"Outdoor recreational facilities we already have at the Rec and at Belhus Park. A boardwalk for walking and cycling isn't needed, there's a perfectly good path for this alongside the A1306, edged by the woods and fields they want to destroy.

"We don't need a new community hub as we have one in the centre of the village, accessible to all, so why do we want one that we have to travel to?"