THURROCK Council has been granted a second interim High Court injunction preventing any further unauthorised development on green belt land south of Buckles Lane, South Ockendon.

The latest interim injunction was granted and confirmed after court hearings which took place on Friday, 21 August and Tuesday, 1 September. A similar interim injunction is already in place protecting more than 100 acres of green belt land north of Buckles Lane and south of Mollands Lane.

The council acted in the wake of considerable criticism, led by borough MP Jackie Doyle-Price, while local ward councillor Andrew Jefferies has weighed in with his questions about the effectiveness of the council's enforcement action.

Leader of Thurrock Council, Cllr Rob Gledhill, said: "These interim injunctions protect green belt land both north and south of the South Ockendon site and prevent any further unauthorised development taking place.

"Our environmental and planning enforcement teams have worked closely to identify land where unauthorised development was being carried out and gather the evidence required with our legal team to secure these two interim injections.

"The latest injunction is part of ongoing activity at the site to deal with unauthorised development as part of our overall development strategy. These injunctions give us the powers we need to effectively protect our land and halt and prevent unauthorised development."

Both interim injunctions will continue until trials later in the year to determine if they will be made permanent.