THURROCK Council’s cabinet is set to sign off on the almost £30 million of council-owned land and buildings – including two enterprise centres – as part of its ongoing financial recovery drive reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, councillors will consider two linked reports recommending the disposal of a range of non-operational assets spread across Belhus, Chadwell St Mary, Orsett, Stanford-le-Hope, Tilbury, Purfleet, Grays and other wards.
The sites include amenity land, vacant plots and legacy commercial investments, all held in the general fund rather than for frontline services.
Officers say the sales will generate capital, reduce borrowing and interest costs, and remove ongoing maintenance and legal liabilities, in line with the council’s Improvement and Recovery Plan and Medium-Term Financial Strategy.
This latest tranche of disposals features land at 560 London Road in Grays, 88 Baker Street in Orsett, plots at The Manorway in Stanford-le-Hope, A13 Corringham and One Tree Hill, land near Tilbury Manor School and at the corner of Calcutta Road and St Chads Road in Tilbury, as well as land at South Hill and North Hill in Langdon Hills and to the north of London Road in Purfleet.
The council says most of these sites generate no income and are described as constrained, landlocked or held for historic reasons, with no current or future service use identified by regeneration, housing, planning or finance teams.
A separate report recommends the freehold disposal of Riverside Business Centre in Tilbury and the Thurrock Centre for Business in Grays, both currently managed for the council by Norfolk and Waveney Enterprise Services as flexible workspace for small and start-up firms.
Under existing agreements, the council receives 90 per cent of net operating income, but independent financial modelling concludes that the centres’ income is not enough to cover borrowing, ownership and maintenance costs over the medium to long term.
Officers warn that retention would require an ongoing subsidy, whereas a sale would deliver capital receipts to reduce debt and transfer market and operational risks to the private sector.
In both reports, government-appointed commissioners stress that the wider asset disposal programme is “of significant importance” to Thurrock’s financial recovery and must follow agreed governance, with independent valuations and transparent marketing to demonstrate best value.
Capital receipts from the latest land tranche are forecast to contribute to £29.6m of asset sales assumed in 2025/26, while income losses from the enterprise centres are expected to be managed through existing reserves and future budget adjustments.
Last year, the council disposed of 14 retail parades at auction and agreed the sale of South Essex College in Grays town centre.
