A DERELICT former church hall on a prominent Grays corner is set to be replaced by a family home after Thurrock Council planning officers approved a bid for a new dwelling on the site reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
In their report, officers backed an application to demolish the vacant single storey community hall at the junction of London Road and Foxton Road in South Stifford and build a two storey, three bedroom house with rear parking.
The new property will extend the existing terrace along London Road and include a private rear garden and two off street parking spaces accessed from the rear.
The decision marks a turnaround from a previous 2021 bid to redevelop the site for flats, which was refused largely over the loss of community use.
This time, the applicant submitted evidence showing the hall has been vacant for a prolonged period, is in poor condition and has limited prospect of returning to viable use.
Officers also accepted that alternative venues, including the Beehive, Cowdray Hall, Drake Community Centre and Tyrrells Hall, provide a range of community facilities nearby.
“The loss of the former community use has been sufficiently justified,” the report concludes, adding that the new home would make “efficient use of land” in a sustainable urban location and should be supported in light of the borough’s housing delivery needs.
Design was another key factor. The proposed house will sit on the existing building line, with a traditional pitched roof, bay window and materials chosen to reflect surrounding terraced homes.
Planners say the scheme will replace a hoarded, visually distinct corner with a development that “integrates appropriately” and results in a “visual enhancement” to the street.
Officers also found no unacceptable harm to neighbours, noting that the new building would be shallower than the existing hall on the shared boundary and that overlooking would be typical of the area’s terraced pattern.
Highways officers raised no objections, and the scheme meets council parking standards with two spaces for the three bedroom home.
Planning permission is subject to eight conditions covering materials, detailed access design, parking layout, construction hours, a construction environmental management plan and the removal of permitted development rights to prevent overdevelopment of the plot.
Categories:
Planning Permission
Authorities:
Thurrock Council
