Government planning inspector gives green light for 1,000 homes in East Tilbury.

THE government's Planning Inspectorate has approved a controversial, long-running application that will see up to 1,000 new homes built in the green belt at East Tilbury.

Plans for the development, on either side of Muckingford Road have been put forward by a limited company called Mulberry Strategic Land Ltd, which includes several prominent local land owners among its partners.

In June this year Mulberry applied to the Planning Inspectorate for a hearing because it ran out of patience with Thurrock Council which failed to deliver a judgement on the application.

Though that provoked an angry comment in July from the chair of the current planning committee, Cllr Mike Fletcher, who rounded on developers, including Ian Anderson of Mulberry, saying they were not showing sufficient respect to the council or borough residents as they sought to dictate policy through the number and size of projects.

The Planning Inspectorate hearing took place over several days last month, just after a meeting of the council's planning committee finally delivered a verdict, with councillors saying their were not minded to approve the scheme, which was also widely condemned by local residents.

However, at the hearing, Thurrock Council withdrew its objections to the scheme – leaving the door wide open for approval.

The Planning Inspector has now delivered his verdict. It can be read in full here.

Mr Richard Schofield says: "I have found that the proposed development would harm the green belt for reasons of inappropriateness and loss of openness. I have not found any other harms arising from the development proposed.

"I give substantial weight to the harms to the green belt.

"The proposal would, however, deliver market and affordable housing in an area with an extremely poor record of delivery of both, with no signs of this improving in the future. I have attributed very substantial weight to this.

"It would also deliver what is agreed to be a much-needed bridge over the railway line through East Tilbury, to which I have afforded significant weight.

"Moderate weight accrues to benefits in relation to biodiversity, primary school provision, recreational facilities and economic impacts.

"These factors would, taken together, clearly outweigh the harm to the Green Belt by reason of inappropriateness, loss of openness and harm to purposes.

"They are the very special circumstances required to justify the grant of planning permission for the proposed development."

Despite acknowledging a number of listed buildings in the area and the historic links with BATA, Mr Schofield brushed aside the argument that the area should be protected because of its heritage, in fact actually stating East Tilbury is not an "historic town"

Dependent on what happens to the Lower Thames Crossing, which would pass close by if eventually given government approval, there are two schemes have been approved.

Up to 830 dwellings will be built if the Lower Thames Crossing is constructed and up to 1,000 if it does not proceed.

The developers will pay substantial amounts towards local needs, including up to £516,800 for healthcare, up to £114,116 for new provision of existing rugby sports pitches and associated changing facilities with a priority they be in Linford or East Tilbury, up to £512,841 for improvements to Blackshots Leisure Centre and up to £469,560 for provision or improvements to a swimming pool in the local area.

They will also pay £120,000 for improvements to the Cross Keys junction in Chadwell St Mary (which is likely to see thousands of additional car and vehicle movements per day, and more £18,000 for improvements to the Manorway in Stanford-le-Hope.

They will also fund the closure of the existing uncontrolled level crossing over the railway line at Coal Road.

Full details of the Section 106 agreed community payments can be found via this link.

How the development will be laid out.

The inspector also highlighted a commitment by the developers to build a bridge over the rail crossing but no formal details of when it will be built or where it be have been forthcoming. Nub News understands that discussions are ongoing with Network Rail, but many local people have expressed the opinion that it will never happen.

One condition that has been laid down by the planning decision is that the nearby EMR scrap site will have to curtail its working hours and cannot operate on Sunday's because of noise nuisance it would cause to the new home occupiers.

The development will include a new one form primary school, which would have space to grow to two form at some point. There is no secondary education provision.

Thought the applicants have talked of providing a new medical centre, there are no formal requirements to build on and Nun News understands the regional integrated care board does not particularly want one – instead preferring to take the S106 cash for wider uses.

The Muckingford Road application is one of a trio of major projects that bracket East Tilbury. In addition to Mulberry's plans, the Lower Thames Crossing is planned to be built close to the village - as is a new network of electricity pylons.

The decision to give approval has been greeted with complete dismay by East Tilbury ward councillor Fraser Massey.

A long time opponent of the scheme he told Nub News: "To be honest, I expected the worst and it has happened.

"I find the decision baffling. You have an application pivotal on the Lower Thames Crossing on which we don't have a decision.

"My fear now is that the developers will start this project, build the houses they need to make it profitable and then stop. I fear they may build the houses on the Linford side and then not build the rail crossing bridge.

Cllr Fraser Massey.

"In a wider context this shows how under-valued the green belt is by this government, particularly in Thurrock.

"Developers will now be going direct to the government. It's carte blanch. I am absolutely gutted by this decision, it's put the nail in the coffin on Thurrock's green belt and we get an eight year building site on prime agricultural land.

"Thurrock Council has not covered itself in glory, as it has continually failed to deal with land matters and building in the borough. It has prevaricated and been weak and this is the outcome.

"I am just devastated and angry but I fear there is going to be lots more like this to come."

The failures of Thurrock Council's plannning have been widely publicised and a peer review of its capabilities slated the service.

More than 450 documents associated with the Mulberry application, dating back to 2016, can be found via this link.