RESIDENTS of Vange Park Road have reacted with anger and disbelief after Thurrock Council back away from its own planning enforcement notice against a controversial rural site which has been developed into a commercial hub.

The change of direction by the council came just weeks after a leading councillor publicly condemned the site as a "flagrant and destructive breach" of planning rules.

The landowners, who converted the former Greenwise garden nursery into a busy industrial yard housing multiple commercial tenants have now been invited by the council to submit a full planning application to "regularise" the site's activities.

Council officials say the move will allow for "constructive dialogue" between residents, the council, and the landowners.

But locals fear it is little more than a back-door deal that paves the way for permanent industrialisation of a green belt site on a quiet residential street.

With all plots on the site said to be 'under offer' neighbours believe a 'back door' deal has been done and their concerns will be overruled

"This feels like a complete betrayal," said one resident. "We were told enforcement action was the first step in restoring the area to its original, lawful use. Now, instead of stopping the breach, the council seems to be working hand-in-hand with the very people who caused it."

The decision to withdraw enforcement follows months of strong rhetoric from senior councillors.

Cllr Lee Watson, Thurrock's cabinet member for good growth, previously described the site as "a blight on the landscape and a nuisance for neighbours living in the road" — pledging "tough and decisive action" to ensure it was returned to 'green and pleasant use'.

Those promises now appear hollow.

Residents have pointed out that the council's latest statement, describing the situation as a "period of mediation," could embolden other developers in the borough to pursue similar unauthorised schemes.

One local described it as part of the "TACO" culture — "Thurrock Always Chickens Out" — that, they claim, has long undermined enforcement in the borough.

The strength of feeling across Thurrock was evident on social media after Thurrock Nub News reported the story on Wednesday (8 October). On the Nub News Facebook page, residents across the borough have expressed frustration at the reversal, with one comment describing it as "a back-door deal dressed up as cooperation," and another calling the decision "an insult to everyone who's lived with years of disruption and noise."

Even former Thurrock Mayor Sue Little weighed in, publicly questioning the council's integrity — prompting a terse "not nice, Sue" reply from Cllr Watson, which only fuelled further criticism.

At the heart of residents' anger is the fear that the proposed "regularisation" process will be treated as a formality rather than a genuine planning application.

In 2022, a planning application by 1st Containers was rejected by the council on four key grounds: inappropriate Green Belt development, harm to the area's visual character, excessive vehicle movements, and unacceptable noise levels.

Locals argue that those same issues still apply — and that unless the new application addresses each one, any approval would represent a complete abandonment of planning law.

"We've all seen what this site has become — a major commercial depot operating at all times, with no acknowledgement of how they've ruined life in what was once a quiet residential road," said another resident.

"If the council now decides that's acceptable, what message does that send? That rules only apply to small people, not to those with deep pockets."

Residents are now calling for independent oversight of the forthcoming planning application, with full involvement of the Environment Agency, Highways, and Environmental Health, to ensure the process is transparent and consistent with previous decisions.

For now, though, faith in the council appears to be at an all-time low.

"This is about trust," said a resident spokesperson.

"The council told the press it would take tough action — and now it's turned turtle. Unless they prove otherwise, people will assume the deal's already been done."