A PLANNING application for 12 homes and a sports and leisure facility on land formerly used for gravel extraction on the edge of Ockendon has been submitted to Thurrock Council.

The plan is to develop what is described as a 'vacant greenbelt site' into a new recreation, leisure and country park to include a new full size, grass football pitch, a grass 5-a-side pitch and a Futsal pitch along with changing facilities, clubhouse and associated car parking. There would also be a fishing lake.

And the application seeks permission for 11 new four bedroom chalet-style homes that would be sold on the open market, and a new home for the site manager.

The proposed site layout.

The site is on land south of Mollands Lane in South Ockendon but would be accessed from Buckles Lane, adjacent to one of the entrances to the expanded traveller site in the area.

The application, which states the applicant is Harry Remblance but gives no detail about him, is submitted by the same London-based planning consultancy, JMS Planning and Development Ltd, that has been fronting applications for the redevelopment of the controversial Ship Lane site that was the home of Thurrock FC. There is no suggestion that the two applications are linked.

The submission to council says the site is currently a vacant greenfield site, formerly a gravel pit with various historical excavations now comprising ponds. The site also comprises a number of trails and paths.

It is several decades since the site was mined commercially and in the interim there have been a number of applications to turn it into a leisure facility which were granted – but never built.

Scenes from the site as it is currently.

In the application from JMS founder and managing director Julian Sutton it states: "The planning history demonstrates that the site has historically been used for mineral working and was subsequently rehabilitated.

"However, since this time, whilst permissions have been granted for recreation use of the area, none of these have been implemented and the site has remained unused."

An application for the site to be used as a multi-sport and recreational area was approved in 2006, after a similar scheme was rejected two years earlier.

And in 1991 permission was granted for the site to become a golf course with clubhouse.

Plans for the proposed clubhouse.

In the application, details of the clubhouse are provided, this includes a kitchen, toilet facilities and also changing rooms as well as a bar area and terrace.

It adds that each of the proposed chalet bungalows are shown as comprising four bedrooms, two downstairs along with kitchen, bathroom and lounge/diner and two upstairs with a further bathroom. However, the second bedroom downstairs is likely to be used as a study etc. Each dwelling will benefit from two car parking spaces.

The main vehicular access to the site is from Buckles Lane. At the front of the site is a site manager's accommodation. This accommodation is the same size and design as the other chalet bungalows being proposed.

The Country Park will feature 75 car parking spaces and will take its access from the existing Buckles Lane junction, albeit enlarged and improved to accommodate pedestrian paths.

The proposal says the site would create 11 full time jobs.

How the planned new four bedroom homes will look.

Residents are invited to comment on the application via this link. One resident has already expressed concerns about people parking in the Mollands Lane area and walking onto the site, causing problems for existing residents.

The full application, which includes a design and access statement can be accessed this this link.