PROPOSALS for a town’s new railway station, which will form part of a £1bn regeneration project, have taken a step forward.
It is planned to replace the existing station in Purfleet-on-Thames, Essex, with a new one, accessed by a footbridge.
If approved by Thurrock Council, it be will in the first phase of the wider regeneration programme for the town.
Lee Watson, a councillor for the area, welcomed the submission of the plans.
The project to regenerate the town, which includes building 2,850 homes, has outline planning permission – but the layout, scale, appearance and landscaping must be approved.
Councillors have expressed frustration at delays in starting the scheme, the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) said.
On the railway station plans being submitted, Mr Watson, Labour councillor for West Thurrock and South Stifford, said: “I welcome that there is some movement on the regeneration scheme for Purfleet.”
Under the proposals, the new station will have a ticket office and office space along platform canopies.
The footbridge will form the main access to the station.
It will be owned by Network Rail with passenger services operated by C2C.
The regeneration project for the town is being delivered by Purfleet Centre Regeneration Limited (PCRL), in partnership with Thurrock Council.
In addition to new homes, it will include a media and film village and a medical centre.
The first phase of the regeneration scheme also includes 61 homes, LDRS said.
Purfleet-on-Thames was renamed from Purfleet in 2020 to recognise its “proximity to the river” and in a bid to help make it a “destination of choice”.
It will be interesting to see how quickly this project progresses by comparison to the substantial delays and cost overruns at Stanford-le-Hope Station.
Purfleet-on-Thames seems to be the favoured area for Thurrock at the moment so watch this space. Apologies to those on the local Forum but this is how it seems to me.
Let’s see how long before it is vandalised