A LEADING councillor has given a nod of approval to work carried out around Tilbury's civic square in recent weeks which has seen an upgrade in road surfacing, better managed parking places, new bus stops and new flowerbeds and green areas on the north side of the square

Use has also been made of part of the space previously occupied by the town's fire station-turned community resource centre, which was demolished several years ago as part of the subsequently aborted integrated medical centre project.

That scheme was a showcase for the council, with centres planned for Corringham, Tilbury, Grays and Purfleet but the much-vaunted scheme, heavily promoted by the ruling Conservative administration collapsed in the face of financial difficulties and a lack of support from the NHS.

Abandoning the plans in 2023 prompted severe criticism of the council, with then chair of the health and wellbeing overview and scrutiny committee, Cllr Mark Hooper saying: "I'm just shocked and dismayed. The people of Thurrock are being conned."

Only the centre at Corringham was built – and that still hasn't met all the criteria of uses projected for it.

Money for the regeneration project in Tilbury comes from the government, who responded to an application from the Tilbury Towns Board, a partnership including Thurrock Council and key stakeholders from the public, private and third sector which have a strong presence in Tilbury.

The Tilbury Town Investment Plan (TIP) was approved in 2021 when the Department of Levelling up Housing and Communities granted £22.8 million to develop Tilbury Town Deal projects as outlined in the TIP. They include:

• Improve the Hub: Tilbury Station Gateway
• Develop the Heart: Civic Square
• Create the Heart: Youth Zone
• Develop the Heritage

Further details can be found here: thurrock.gov.uk/TTF/tilbury-town-deal-programme.

Completion of the first phase of the project at the civic square has been welcomed by Cllr Victoria Holloway, cabinet member for Place and the Environment, who said: "These works will transform the civic square, creating something new and exciting in the heart of Tilbury.

"This first phase includes new car parking bays by the shops and has moved the bus stop to a better location, both of which will make Tilbury Civic Square easier for residents and visitors to access. The next phases of the works will see similar improvements brought to the rest of the square." 

It's not yet been announced what will happen to the engineering compound (marked in red) that remains on the site.

While work is moving on in upgrading parts of the square, it has still not been announced what will happen to section of it which remains boarded off, with no designated future use. That has led to speculation that the council plans to sell it off for development.

Concern has also been expressed about the viability of the controversial Youth Zone project, which will see a new building on parts of the town's anchor Field – a move that was widely opposed by residents who see it as further degeneration of the town's green spaces.

A budget for the scheme was originally set at £8.4m.

The scheme was approved by the Conservative cabinet in July 2022 and tenders have now been received for the building works, which include facilities like a sports hall, fitness suite, outdoor 3G pitch. Though tenders were invited – and have been submitted, though there appears some confusion about completion of planning permission.

A planning committee meeting took place on Thursday, 26 October 2023to determine an application submitted in June 2023. By a single vote majority, the scheme was granted approval. The council records also contain detailed minutes of the debate and decision. However, the council's planning portal shows the application as 'undetermined'. There is no decision notice, or copy of an approval being sent to the applicants (The Environment Partnership, on behalf of national youth charity Onside.).

And questions remain about how it will run and be financed. The site is set to be managed by the Onside charity. At the planning meeting in 2023 council planning officer Chris Purvis was asked about future financing who responded by saying there was 'agreement outside of planning re financing, but he did not know what it was as it was 'outside of planning'.

Interim chief planning officer Tracey Coleman intervened and said: "These are questions that are not relevant. It's not part of the planning process."

The questions were posed by Cllr Lee Watson who eventually voted against the application. She is now the council's deputy leader and cabinet member for 'good growth' and appears to be supportive of the scheme.

Tilbury Community Forum is an arena where much concern about the project has been expressed, and members have been told no plan is yet in place for the ongoing financing of the facility, prompting fears that the council is 'simply creating a white elephant' that will not prove viable.

At the time of the planning meeting, local resident Craig Austin, now chair of Tilbury Forum and someone who continues to have deep concerns about the financial viability of the project, said: "Lots of nice words, no numbers. There is a lack of financial data, the committee needs to know this is not another long-term rape of our finances."

When planning permission was granted, councillors were told the Youth Zone was expected to be open by 2025.