IT will be decision day for two major planning applications in the west of Thurrock next week – and one of them will be close to the hearts of Grays Athletic FC supporters.

The club is a joint applicant in a bid to develop former training pitches adjacent to the now disused Thurrock FC football stadium as a vehicle Pre-Delivery Inspection (PDI) centre.

The site will be developed by  Group 1 Automotive, who have already seen three previous applications for the site thrown out.

For the fourth attempt they have partnered with Grays Athletic FC, who plan to move into the renovated stadium with associated hardstanding for parking spaces, a PDI Building, new access to include HGV turnaround, and a 2.4m high boundary fence.

The application has split the local community.

The land set to be developed if car preparation plant gets green light

Many residents in Aveley are opposed to the scheme, while Grays have been running a campaign of support including a petition and submission to the council's planning portal.

And in addition to the Ship Lane application, Grays and Group 1 Automotive are also proposing to develop a new 3G football pitch and sports facility at Belhus Park by way of compensation for the loss of sports pitches at Ship Lane.

A total of 224 public comments have been received on the planning portal, comprising 44 objections (including an objection from a local ward councillor) and 180 expressions of support.

The full report to be put before planning councillors at their meeting on Thursday, about the application for Ship Lane can be found via this link. The Belhus application report can be read here.

The other major application to be decided is on another nearby development project.

Members will be asked to give their verdict on the application for a site on the other side of Ship Lane, on land adjacent Watts Wood including Mardyke Farm.

The proposal seeks to demolish existing buildings (including dwellings) and structures that form part of the application site and build 12 units that will form the new Mardyke Park logistics hub. The proposal also includes a plan to build a community facility to be used by Essex Boys and Girls Clubs.

Like the football site plan, the proposal has also provoked local opposition, but support from further afield for the new community facility.

The council has received 151 comments on its planning portal and a formal petition of more than 600 signatories opposing the development. It was delivered by local campaigners to the town hall yesterday (Tuesday, 28 March).

Of the online comments, 33, including comments from the Aveley & Kennington Community Forum, object to the application. 118 comments have been received supporting the application, many from outside of the Aveley and Purfleet area and a large proportion outside the borough entirely.

And developers say the scheme will surmounting local opposition based on the fear of more HGVs using nearby roads. The scheme includes a new roundabout that will be funded by developers which they say will provide a solution to the problem of HGVs accessing Aveley.

Council officers are recommending refusal of all three applications, largely on the grounds that the developments are inappropriate in the green belt.

No submission has been made, or is required, for Grays Athletic to move into the football stadium as it exists already; the application is singularly about the creation of the PDI plant.