THURROCK Council appears set to take no further action following the destruction of wildlife habitat around a Traveller mobile home site between Tilbury and Chadwell St Mary – despite calls for prosecution for breaches of planning law and for restoration of an area of natural habitat which has been destroyed.

Thurrock Nub News reported extensively over recent months on the excavation of hundreds of tons of minerals from an embankment above the Biggin Lane mobile home site and seeming preparations to create space for more caravans in the site. Concerns were raised publicly by local councillors and residents.

For several days, as excavators dug away at the site – during which time they brought down power lines cutting off the electricity supply to hundreds of local homes – Thurrock Council took no practical steps to stop work.

Under pressure, the council then stated it would be taking action, and said that would include considering reparation of the site. Eventually, days after the site had been cleared and machinery had left the site, the council stepped in to issue a 'stop' order!

The action – or lack of it - by the local authority has been ridiculed by local residents, criticised by councillors and has left observers of local planning issues perplexed.

The council finally moved in to issue its stop notice – reported on 15 May - prompting the question – what happens next?

The answer, it now appears, is very little. Despite saying: "The planning team are investigating what needs to be done to remediate the works already carried out. The council's legal team will be working with the planning team to ensure a swift positive outcome" it now appears the council will be doing nothing more.

In the wake of implementation of the stop notice, Thurrock Nub News asked the council what it planned to do next. We made the request in the light of calls by the Essex Wildlife Trust for the site to be restored – and we pointed out the council appeared to have ignored the excavation of a public road to put in an unauthorised utilities supply trench and other breaches of planning rules around the site. We also pointed out land had been cleared, without permission, apparently to allow more vehicles on the site.

"Outrageous"

A source close to the planning team contacted us to express concerns about issues and informed us that the views of Essex Wildlife Trust would not be considered or given weight because 'they are not a statutory consultee'.

Chadwell councillor Gerald Rice joined in the expression of concern calling on the council to "inform myself how this land will be reinstated. It is outrageous. There are a lot of angry local residents'.

Cllr John Allen has been a fierce critic of the council and has praised Thurrock Nub News for its reporting of this issue saying: "Action could have been implemented much sooner. I appreciate that this matter is of serious concern to local residents. I believe a badger sett and a large sand martin nesting area has been destroyed."

However, he added he was not sure the land could be effectively restored, and expressed the need for punitive action to back up the stop order.

"At this site I think this is irreparable and it can never be put back to its former glory! Which is most upsetting and saddens me, as dos the fact they appear to have got away with it without any punishment, which has to be wrong. The people who did this need to know there is a cost to their actions."

Borough MP Jackie Doyle-Price has also expressed disquiet saying: "This is very concerning. From what I can understand there is serious criminality here and it needs to be tackled by the council and police working together."

However, it appears that nothing further is to be done.

In response to our questions and concerns expressed in a detailed letter to the council on 12 June which asked what further action would be taken, yesterday (17 June) we received his short and abrupt response: "Unfortunately we will not be adding anything further other than what has been shared in the press release circulated."

There is, however, some apparent good news in the immediate local environment. As part of our reports on the activities above and around Biggin Lane, we highlighted the considerable fly-tipping that has meant that large sections of Sandy Lane, which links Biggin Lane to Linford Road, have been made unpassable by fly-tipping and overspill from a nearby industrial site.

The council has now taken steps to restrict traffic that might have been responsible for the dumping and, according to Chadwell St Mary councillor Sara Muldowney, the plan is to make the route a bridleway.

The council has issued a public notice inviting comment on its plans for Sandy Lane.

Cllr Muldowney says: "This proposal is part of the longer term solution to the persistent fly tipping in the area that I negotiated with the council last year.

"The council are making Sandy Lane into a bridleway with further target hardening measures to prevent future flytipping.

"It has taken a little while to get to this stage as Sandy Lane has special legal protection as an ancient pathway, so there have been some legal hurdles to overcome. Those have now been dealt with and the council is moving ahead."