THE clock is ticking towards the deadline for residents to make comments on a controversial planned new housing estate in the green belt at East Tilbury.

The application, news of which was first broken by Thurrock Nub News in May, is for a new 230 home housing estate in Linford - on land known as Gothards Field to the rear and east of the George and Dragon pub.

There has already been widespread opposition to the development, summed up by this statement from local campaigner Rob Quick, who says: "The planning application is completely unsuitable for the village. It will bring another estimated 350 vehicles into the village. Which is already groaning from the impact of the previous additional houses and the vehicles they have added to the village.

"This brings no improvement to the infrastructure for Linford and East Tilbury. I live on East Tilbury Road near the Walton Hall Road junction and we regularly have traffic queuing past our house down to the rail crossing. This is over half a mile of queuing cars and HGVs.

"With the announcement that DP World will be increasing their capacity by 30% this will mean even more traffic through East Tilbury station increasing the amount of time the gates will be closed for road traffic.

"Standing traffic will increase the pollution from vehicle fumes which Thurrock Council is already using as a reason combatting the LTC route. Thurrock, they tell us, has the highest level of residents suffering from COPD in the country outside of London. This project will just add to it.

"The proposers for this project try to tell us that as it is north of the rail crossing it will have no impact on queuing through the gates, this is a ridiculous statement. Any residents for this build will need to use schools, doctors and shops which are all the other side of the crossing. Assuming the schools and doctors have the capacity.

"There is no inclusion of adding to the infrastructure to offset this shortage of amenities. In addition the queuing traffic will prevent access to and from this proposed site, thereby increasing further the pollution from standing traffic.

"Get the infrastructure in place before any more new builds!"

More than 160 people have already posted comments about the application on Thurrock Council's planning portal. All but one is against the development!

You can read the full application and make your comment via this link.

You can also send in a comment by post or email to the Civic Offices, New Road, Grays, RM17 6SL or email [email protected]. For both methods be sure to include your full name and address.

Ward councillor Fraser Massey is another who is steadfastly against the development. He says: "He says: "The road cannot cope, the crossing cannot cope, the schools, doctors etc. this is too much on our green belt."

"Please make your comments to the council. The power of doing this has stopped applications here in the past."

The deadline to make a comment is Friday, 19 November.