CASH-strapped Council has effectively thrown in the towel and will not mount a significant battle against a planning appeal that could see a highly controversial development built in Thurrock despite the wishes of residents and councillors.

In the summer last year, after a long period of discussion and debate over the application to construct five blocks to provide 38 residential apartments on land adjacent to Ockendon rail station off Tamarisk Road, Thurrock councillors twice overturned an officer recommendation to approve the scheme.

Local people, including the Flowers Estate Residents Group, had objected to the plan saying the area had already been subject to substantial new building which was creating problems with health and education provision and parking.

The applicant, Jaybright Limited, was informed of the decision on 21 August.

Councillors had twice voted against the application, in meetings in July and on 17 August, having listened to and acknowledged a warning from the council's principal planning officer that the proposed reasons for refusal would be difficult to defend at an appeal.

The location and adjacent views

The officer advised that, while the proposed first reason for refusal relating to design and character could potentially be defended given that design is a subjective matter, concern was particularly raised about the likelihood of defending the other reasons which were described as 'technical matters which meet relevant policies due to processes followed, or via mitigation. Councillors were also told a recent nearby allowed appeal had been won.

In the final vote Cllrs Georgette Polley, Jacqui Maney, Sue Shinnick and Lee Watson still opposed the scheme, while Cllrs Tom Kelly, Adam Carter and Steve Liddiard said it should be allowed.

Minutes of the meeting can be found via this link. A full report on the application recommending approval and laying out section 106 requirements, that do not include any affordable housing requirement, can be found via this link.

In secret session at a meeting of the planning committee last night (Thursday, 14 March), after other business had been completed, officers advised current members of the committee that the applicant had subsequently appealed.

The public were ejected from witnessing the meeting and TV cameras were switched off. No details of the briefing or debate have been made public.

However, it is understood ouncillors were told the cost of defending the appeal would amount to around £60,000 and that there was a significant chance the appeal would be lost.

Precedent may have come from the fact that in October 2021 the planning inspectorate overturned a decision by councillors to limit the size of another highly controversial development in South Ockendon.

Sources have told Thurrock Nub News that councillors were advised to sanction a simple submission of the reasons why the Tamarisk Road application was rejected and to not approve further work to substantiate the rejection because the council was in a dire financial situation.

That was apparently agreed.

Critics of the council's planning process and strategy have said they fear such a decision now opens the door for developers to 'bully their way through planning' because they have bigger chequebooks that the council, which does not have the capability to mount a defence of councillors' decisions.