A MAJOR retail park at Lakeside is set to be razed to the ground and replaced by a new £200million warehouse and distribution centre.

The Junction 31 trading estate which is close to the lakeside Regional Shopping Centre is currently host to a number of retail chain outlets and also hosts a Burger King takeaway restaurant.

At their recent meeting members of Thurrock council's planning committee gave the green light for the scheme and construction of a 15-acre warehouse.

Several shops, including Burger King, TK Maxx, M&S, Asda Home, Boots, Go Outdoors and Poundland, will be demolished but it is expected they will be given empty shops in other adjacent retail areas.

Jayme McArthur, planning director for landowner, British Land, attended a planning committee meeting and outlined how retail has changed since the rise in online shopping.

She said: "When considering the land use it's important to note the evidenced oversupplied retail in the area which is causing vacancies and a need to consolidate existing retail into the core of the Lakeside basin, in turn creating wider vitality and vibrancy of the centre.

"We would not be proposing this investment in logistics if we believed the site would continue to thrive in its current form. The existing retail park is peripheral and in decline and will be ready for development in 2025.

"We are looking to invest £200million and with that comes benefit for Thurrock."

Ms McArthur said the council would benefit from £3million in business rates a year and 700 jobs would be created once the site was operational – a 150 per cent increase in jobs on the existing retail park .

Cllr Lee Watson, who represents West Thurrock and South Stifford where the park is sited, raised concerns about pressures on the nearby Junction 31 of the M25.

Cllr lee Watson, left, has differing opinions on the scheme to those of British land Director Jayme McArthur.

Cllr Watson said: "If this goes through we're going to have more HGVs going on junction 31.

"There is also coming up the Purfleet employment hub that is actually a logistics park sitting on Junction 31. On the opposite side of the Mardyke there is a logistics park that's half built that's on Junction 31.

"How is Junction 31 going to cope? Aveley can't cope with that sort of traffic nor can Purfleet-on-Thames, nor can west Thurrock. Everything is going on Junction 31 and that's not getting any bigger. Twice this week it's been gridlocked."

After the meeting Ms McArthur, a a former director of Iceni Projects, the planning and development consultancy that has been linked to many commercial and resdiential projects across Thurrock, took to social media to say: "Delighted to have represented British Land at the Thurrock Planning Committee where we secured a positive resolution on our Weston Avenue Logistics Hub.

"Great to hear the positive discussion on our multi-storey proposals and wider economic benefits."

She was complemented on the success of the application by Thurrock Council's interim director of Place, Mark Bradbury, who said: "Looking forward to seeing this on site.

"We need approaches such as this to address the challenges of high demand and values for logistics development and pressure on the green belt."