STANFORD-le-Hope's new rail station could be on track to be completed by the end of next year - a new report to Thurrock Council says.

At next week's meeting of the council's standards and audit committee members will be told that Phase One of the newly scheduled works will be completed by the summer of next year, with the Phase Two works following in quick succession.

Members will be told that a new application for planning permission for the new design of the station and car park - following the council's £4 million plus purchase of the Daybreak Windows site which it needed to make to find room for new parking and a bus turning circle - is almost ready to be submitted to the planning department.

The report adds: "The concept design for the Phase 2 Transport Hub is in development and a workshop is planned for November to share some suggested configurations with the key stakeholders including London Gateway DPW and c2c.

"Invitations to tender have been sent out to 11 potential principal contractors."

The station rebuild has been a massive embarrassment to the council, with huge cost overruns and a delay of more than two years in completion since work started on the rebuilding.

The council has spent more than half a million on consultants to try and remedy failings with the project.

The full report to next week's committee can be found here.

Previous Thurrock Nub News stories related to this project include:

Increased scrutiny over busted budgets and long delays.