GRAYS Athletic has issued a battle cry to club supporters and residents to support its joint application to bring the former Thurrock FC site back to life.

In conjunction with car preparation company Group One Automotive, Grays Athletic are partners in a bid to build a car preparation plant on the site at Ship Lane, Aveley – and the fan-owned club would the make use of the existing stadium.

Thurrock Council are due to meet soon to decide on the planning application which, if granted would see Grays take in the stadium.

A statement from the fan-owned club say: "As part of this application the current unused and derelict football ground will be gifted to Grays Athletic for community use as well as a new 3g pitch being Installed at Belhus by the leisure centre.

"Having a stadium to call our own again after 13 years would be huge for the club and secure our long-term future.

"What the club are asking  is for fans, parents, volunteers and adult age players to submit supporting letters to the council to say why having our own stadium could benefit the club and our local community.

"If we had our own stadium we could do more for the community, have more teams and be the focal point of football in Thurrock.

"We need you all to please to go to the following link and register with Thurrock Council, it is very easy to do...and then simply register your support of the application."

The application an opportunity to comment can be found via this link.  

The statement continues: "To help guide you in what type of things you can write in support of the application from a football perspective, here are a few themes to think about:

"Bringing a disused football ground back into community use and include a legally binding agreement that will keep the ground for everlasting community football use.

"Encouraging young boys and girls from age 5 to 16 to play football, along with those aged 16+ to study a BTEC Sports course at the ground.

"Provide a pathway for youngsters through youth football to Under 23s and Senior Men and Women's football.

"To help guide you in what type of thing you can write in support of the application from the car preparation perspective, here are a few themes to think about:

"The PDI facility will bring over 30 new jobs to the area, including two permanent new jobs at Grays Athletic Community Football Club.

"HGV turnaround along Ship Lane and CCTV monitoring to reduce and even eliminate HGV traffic into Aveley Village via Ship Lane.

"Massive bio-diversity net gain with wildflower planting close to the Mardyke, supporting bee, bird and insect species to thrive in this location.

"The inclusion of vehicle charging points will support the transition to electric cars when the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is banned from 2030 in the UK.

"We ask that you don't just copy and paste the above try and use your own words while noting some or all of the above points 

"If you could all put something in to support us getting our own ground we could one day soon have our very own facility for us all to benefit from."

There has been local opposition in Aveley and West Thurrock to the scheme, with residents saying it will have a significant negative impact on the area with hundreds of daily vehicle movements, additional adverse air quality and that the local ecology will be affected.

The views of those opposed are summed up in this statement posted by a resident: "The extra air pollution will affect all the the poor kids in the two schools that will be do close to the centre, the extra health conditions caused, the further strain on the NHS!

"Try putting yourself into our shoes what would this build look like on your door step/daily travel route - would you be happy? When the bridge closes, what will these extra cars/lorries do to the traffic in and around village?

"And let's not start about the fact that it's a flood plain and the water will still need to go somewhere, so other areas will suffer with flooding - say what you like, the water will still need to go somewhere!

"People just don't think further than their pockets sometimes."

Please look at the bigger picture