LOCAL residents and councillors are celebrating their planning victory over the West Thurrock Biomass Plant application on Thursday.
The plans were unanimously thrown out by the Thurrock Council Planning Committee, citing the significantly adverse visual impact of the proposed building.
Councillor Oliver Gerrish, who spoke against the application said: “This is a huge victory for West Thurrock and South Stifford residents. We’ve been fighting this application hard with meetings, petitions and lots of campaigning, so it’s thrilling to see that hard work pay off.
“As I said at the committee meeting, this application would have been a monster, absolutely out of character with how the area is now developing. The air pollution, HGVs and round-the-clock noise were all unacceptable with residents living just meters away. The area is already one of the most polluted in Thurrock, so anything that made that worse would have been horrendous.
“I was very proud to represent my ward to campaign and speak against this application. Obviously this may not be the end of the story, as they might try to appeal the decision. However, we’ll keep fighting this at every stage!
“I’d like to thank everyone who played a part in this victory, but in particular the residents – it’s been a huge effort, with so many people getting involved and sticking up for their area.”
Grays Riverside Councillor Jane Pothecary who attended the meeting with residents said: “This is a fantastic day for Grays and a real win for the community. I am delighted that the area won’t be blighted by more HGVs and pollution.
“It has been great to work with residents in this fight and I would like to thank everyone for their hard work. This was the right decision for Grays and I am so glad that the council listened to our residents and put them first.”
