AFTER six years of pondering, Thurrock Council planning officers are recommending approval for a huge quarry and subsequent landfill site that residents say will blight the borough for decades.

It is now more than six years since an application was made to expand an existing small quarry into a huge one, with mineral extraction first and then filling with waste material over a number of years.

The scheme covers a large, triangular swathe of land between Linford, Orsett and Stanford-le-Hope. The main access will be via the already heavily congested Buckingham Road and Stanford Road.

Ingrebourne Valley Limited first submitted plans for Orsett Quarry, including the erection of processing plant and an infilling programme, in 2019 - sparking waves of local opposition.

The size and scale of the project is shown on this map

Since first proposed, more than a thousand residents have expressed their objections to the scheme, while Thurrock Council has delved into a complex series of submissions.

In January last year Thurrock Council said: "The council's planning team are aware of local concerns and is in close contact with the applicant to ensure any proposal for this area meets our clear planning expectations, putting residents' wellbeing and safety first."

Among those who have been in the forefront of objections to the quarry has been East Tilbury councillor Fraser Massey, who gave detailed reasons why it was out of proportion, not reasonable and not welcome.

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Today (Monday, 2 February), after being given first sight of the officers' report and recommendation to approve, he expressed his disappointment, saying: "I am amazed at the officer recommendation, this corner on Thurrock has suffered from quarrying and waste for decades, especially now at a time with so many major projects like Lower Thames Crossing, Pylons, and pockets of new homes being built all around on the greenbelt, this will be a massive disruption for residents for decades to come.

"The main road serving the quarry is regularly a traffic hot spot with the tip just down the road, and other routes are effectively country lanes. The area has suffered with HGVs with various companies for years causing dust, noise, accidents and disruption and to hear now there is a lot more to come is heartbreaking.

"I truly hope elected members see the damage this quarry will do environmentally and its impact on residents' lives and overturn this recommendation."

The meeting next Tuesday (10 February) will receive a report backing the scheme from unnamed officers. The report does detail the massive number of local objections and those from environmental groups.

However, it says: "All of the responses have been taken into account in a consideration of the proposal and afforded weight in the planning balance. Officers are satisfied that permission should still be recommended. taking these into account."

The full list of documents with the application - and the 1,100 comments from the public it has generated can be viewed via this link.

Previous Nub News stories include:

No back door entry: Previous Nub News stories include:

1,00p residents object: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/more-than-1000-people-sign-up-to-protest-about-huge-quarry-plan-in-east-thurrock

Massive influx of HGVs: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/new-documents-say-new-quarry-will-bring-300-additional-hgv-movements-a-day-148191

Objectors say council red tape is blocking legitimate protest: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/anger-and-frustration-over-problems-in-lodging-objections-to-controversial-quarry

Is deal linked to Thames Crossing?: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/43-million-spoil-deal-may-have-consequences-as-firm-bidding-for-super-quarry-wins-contract

Opposition growing quickly: https://thurrock.nub.news/news/local-news/as-opposition-continues-about-quarry-site-company-bids-to-open-up-a-second-new-one-in-the-borough