THURROCK Conservatives unveiled further details of exciting new plans to regenerate the borough’s Council stock during March’s cabinet meeting. The plans include 82 new council homes on the site of the current council building and 240 new council homes in Blackshots and the demolition of the three high rises towers currently on the site.
Both schemes will 100% funded, planned, managed and let by Thurrock Council. They will provide top quality new homes for the people of Thurrock. Both develops are in addition to several other council developments already in the development pipeline.
However the exciting news didn’t end there. Thurrock Conservatives have also revealed plans for much larger scale regeneration within Tilbury and Grays Riverside were also reopened last year. The plans will include a review of the future of all the tower blocks within both Grays and Tilbury.
Cabinet member for Regeneration, Strategic Planning and External Relationships, Cllr Mark Coxshall said: “The three existing Blackshots tower blocks provide 168 homes, 155 council rent and 13 leaseholders in total. We will be recommending to cabinet that all three blocks be demolished and replaced by a new scheme comprising of up to 240 units. The scheme will be an apartment led proposal but with a quarter of the new homes to be houses. We will propose this to be a solely Council development built entirely for general needs social housing with none built for private let or sale. This scheme alone represents a £72.325m in the regeneration of ailing housing stock within Thurrock. I hope that it is clear to all Thurrock residents that the starting pistol has been fired on the regeneration of Thurrock’s social housing estates.”
Cabinet Member for Housing, Cllr Luke Spillman said: “I am delighted with this report which proposes the building of 56 one bedroom apartments and 26 two bedroom apartments on the CO1 site. This paper sets out various options for the development, however we wholeheartedly support the recommendation that this be a solely Council scheme which delivers, in its entirety, on this Cabinet’s commitment to provide high quality council housing for the people of Thurrock.”
Leader of Thurrock Council, Cllr Rob Gledhill concluded: “These fully costed schemes represent an investment of over £98 million by this Cabinet into social housing built to house Thurrock residents. Whilst Labour oppose any hint of progress in Thurrock, we’re planning to ‘build back better’ in Thurrock. Residents can have no doubt that Thurrock Conservatives are investing in a better future for social housing in Thurrock. We have a vision, resources, and plan to deliver this much needed and high quality housing for Thurrock.”
