A MAJOR planning decision due to be made last night was out on ice due to administrative and legal issues.

Thurrock Council's planning committee was due to resume discussion on an application for a logistics park on land adjacent to Watts Wood including Mardyke Farm, Ship Lane and Broomhill in Purfleet.

The application has been the subject of widespread local interest and has sparked public debate, petitions, protests and messages of support.

The political hot potato was due to be decided last night (Thursday, 13 July) but the application was deferred after a clear difference of opinion between member councillors over the make-up of the committee on the night.

The issue appeared to be the make-up of who was eligible to sit on the committee for the evening and on what issues.

Only those who were present when the application was first debated, which happened on Thursday, 6 April) were eligible to sit in on the resumed session and so Cllr James Thandi who is a substitute member on the current panel of committee members, turned up expecting to take part

Also present, as a new member of the planning committee, was Cllr Jacqui Maney who was elected in May as a representative of the Aveley and Uplands ward – adjacent to the planned development.

At the original meeting in April Mrs Maney, spoke against the application as a resident. She spoke of the 'detrimental impact the development would have on the green belt and the Aveley community'.

Now a councillor sitting on the planning committee, Cllr Maney was ineligible to partake in the latest meeting on two counts – as she wasn't present at the first sitting of the committee on the matter and because she is clearly predetermined, having spoken against it publicly.

Cllr Thandi, who is believed to favour the application and was present at the first sitting, stepped up to replace her but objections were raised about the legality of that as he was not a substitute member for the whole meeting. It appears, had he sat, there would have been a higher number of members taking part in the overall meeting that the constitution appears to permit.

However, the legal officer attending the meeting digitally was unable to make a ruling in response to what appeared to be a complaint by opponents of the scheme who did not want Cllr Thandi to take part.

That meant the item was deferred with chair Cllr Tom Kelly telling the meeting: "It's been raised to my attention that there is some conflicting advice from the monitoring officer in terms of the membership numbers for the agenda item in relation to Mardyke Farm.

"This is planning. It's not easy, it does get complex, what I am going to do is defer that until next month."

Cllr Maney then addressed the meeting but in a twist to the previous exclusion of Cllr Thandi then nominated another substitute member, Cllr Joy Redsell, to represent her on an issue where legal advice had also said she couldn't be a determining member - the application for new sports pitches at Belhus, which the legal offer declared was intrinsically linked to the application by Grays Athletic to move into the Ship Lane football ground. That meant Cllr Maney's eligibility to take part was in question.

Cllr Maney said she disagreed with that decision but would have to abide by it.

Ironically when it came to debating Belhus, the item had to be adjourned as the legal officer declared an administrative glitch by the council in not notifiying Impulse Leisure about the meeting, meant any decision would not be lawful!

Committee chair Tom Kelly also found himself having to defend his position to partake in the debate about Grays Athletic and Ship Lane, saying: "I've heard some concerns that have been raised that I am a supporter of Grays Athletic and am predetermined. 

"Some emails suggest I should remove myself in the basis that I supported the application last time round and that I am a Grays Athletic fan. I have never held a membership of Grays Athletic and I have not attended a game in upwards of 20 years.

"I am of clear mind and I am not pre-determined and I can hear all arguments in regard to the material considerations and make a decision with an open mind."