PLANNING approval has been given for a new truckstop with 207 places in the west of Grays.

This week's planning committee of Thurrock Council gave the thumbs up to the new lorry park with facilities for drivers at Fiddler's Reach.

Councillors has some concerns about the flow of traffic to and from the site, which has two approaches, from Hedley Avenue and Wouldham Road.

Councillors feared the Wouldham Road entrance and exit has limited ability to cope with big volumes of traffic and though there are restrictions on the number of vehicles that can use it per day, councillors have asked that the formal address of the site be changed to Hedley Avenue, rather than Wouldham Road so that any drivers using Sat Nav would get the best approach to the site.

Full details of the application can be found here.

The site was once earmarked for Thurrock's potentially most prestigious housing development and was a much vaunted showcase for the now defunct Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation.

The history of the site can be found in this Thurrock Nub News feature story.