Scheme waved through despite concerns raised by locals and Anglian Water
Thurrock Council has given developer Mulberry Strategic Land the go-ahead for 412 homes on land within Essex’s green belt.
The scheme is located on a 54-acre plot adjacent to Echo farm in South Ockendon and will deliver 50% affordable housing alongside a primary school, care home and supermarket.
Although the exact tenure mix is yet to be determined, the application proposes 60% of the affordable housing for rent and 40% for shared ownership.
However, the loss of green belt land was a major issue raised by respondents during the consultation period.
In response, planning officers laid out a “very special circumstances” case in order to justify use of the green belt for development. This encompasses Thurrock’s “acute housing need”, the “over-provision” of affordable housing against the council’s 35% policy requirement and the associated economic benefits of a new community.
Anglian Water also lodged an objection, stating that the area’s sewer network is currently unable to cope with the extra foul water from the development and urged the developer to fund the works required. The council accepted this as a solvable concern, although the developer has not yet finalised a solution.
The outline planning application was approved at a planning committee meeting on Wednesday (21 January).
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