Naomi Greenaway

Thurrock Council’s draft Local Plan identifies land and housing supply for 35,906 homes by 2044, exceeding the borough’s minimum requirement of 28,880. The largest proposals include 10,000 homes at West Horndon, 5,000 at Lower Langdon and Corringham Park Farm, 4,787 in South Ockendon and 3,000 in Purfleet-on-Thames. The plan also includes new schools, healthcare facilities, transport improvements, town-centre development and protected green spaces. Cabinet members are due to consider the draft before it proceeds to public consultation.

Developers have appealed Southend-on-Sea City Council's refusal of plans for two flats created through a three-storey rear extension on Cobham Road, Westcliff. The council rejected the proposal over the loss of family housing, its potential harm to the Leas Conservation Area and surrounding streetscape, impacts on neighbours and garden light, and the absence of a contribution toward protecting internationally important coastal habitats. The developer disputes all four grounds and has indicated a willingness to make the required environmental payment. A Planning Inspector will decide whether to uphold the refusal or grant planning permission.

Thurrock Council is continuing work toward a Development Agreement for the delayed Purfleet-on-Thames regeneration scheme, which could deliver about 2,850 homes, a new town centre, jobs, healthcare facilities, a primary school, an improved railway station and a bridge. Muse Places is the council’s preferred partner, but financial, legal and cost assessments must be completed before a final agreement can be presented to the cabinet. The project stalled after the council terminated its agreement with Purfleet Centre Regeneration Limited in 2024 over inadequate funding, prompting the council to take a more leading role in delivery. Any agreement will require approval at a future cabinet meeting.

Southend councillors may lose the ability to bring certain planning applications before the Planning Committee under national reforms due to take effect on October 31. Planning officers could decide applications despite councillor interest, resident objections, petitions or public controversy, while committees would focus on strategically important cases. Council leader Daniel Cowan said the constitutional changes are required by law, but Reform leader Tony Cox and Conservative leader James Courtenay condemned the move as harmful to local democracy and public accountability. The Standards Committee is due to consider the changes before a recommendation is made to Full Council.

The Drop restaurant in Leigh has been granted a new premises licence by Southend Council after its previous licence became invalid when the former holder’s company went into liquidation. Despite three objections from residents, councillors approved the application with conditions addressing noise and public safety, including a written dispersal policy, CCTV, staff training, restrictions on outdoor areas and music, and bans on overnight deliveries and waste collections. Alcohol sales must remain linked to table meals, with the restaurant operating primarily as a dining venue.

Thurrock Council granted retrospective planning permission for Brick Lane Bagel Co in Corringham to operate as a shop and takeaway. The decision followed a resident’s complaint about fried-food smells entering a nearby retirement bungalow and concerns about parking across a dropped kerb. Officers reported only a slight baked-goods smell and minimal noise, while highway officers found no significant road-safety impact. The permission restricts opening hours to 9am–6pm and prohibits strong-smell cooking unless approved extraction and odour-control measures are installed.

Thurrock Council has approved plans for a three-bedroom family home beside Fairway in Stifford Clays, Grays, after two earlier applications were refused. The redesigned proposal addressed concerns about overdevelopment, outdoor space, visual character, environmental requirements, access, visibility and parking. The site’s owners must begin construction within three years or the planning permission will expire.

Southend councillors approved plans for a Westcliff children's home on Cotswold Road to provide transitional accommodation for up to four young adults with autism or learning disabilities after they turn 18. Residents will be able to remain in a familiar, round-the-clock staffed setting for typically six to 12 months, and up to 18 months, while moving into adult social care, continuing education and developing independent-living skills. The home will be dual-registered with Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission, and no external alterations are planned. Council officers said the operator, Canary, is already known to local social care services and that the change would not create significant additional demand or parking pressure.

Nearly two years after the Sir David Amess electric train crashed into buffers at the end of Southend Pier, neither of the pier’s two £3.5 million electric trains has a return-to-service date. Southend Council’s investigation remains ongoing, while work on the William Bradley train is continuing subject to inspections, maintenance and safety measures. The Office of Rail and Road says the council is responsible for investigating the crash and deciding what action is needed; the regulator has visited the railway but does not approve repairs or sign off the trains’ return. Diesel trains remain in operation for visitors, while Reform UK councillor James O’Rourke has criticized the council for the delay.

The Drop restaurant in Leigh is seeking a new premises licence from Southend-on-Sea City Council after its previous alcohol licence was not transferred when the former licence holder’s parent company entered administration. The application proposes alcohol sales from 10am to 11pm Monday to Thursday, until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays, and from 1pm to 11pm on Sundays, with music and late-night refreshments permitted until midnight at weekends. Additional conditions would restrict outdoor use after 9pm, prohibit standing drinking outside and require music to remain indoors. Residents have objected over noise and DJs, although the applicant’s representative says the concerns largely relate to neighbouring premises. Neither Essex Police nor the council’s environmental protection team submitted representations, and the application will be considered by the council’s licensing subcommittee.

Residents have objected to plans to convert a six-bedroom HMO on Dock Road in Tilbury into a seven-bedroom property, citing severe parking pressure and reduced privacy. Thurrock Council previously determined that planning permission was needed for the additional occupant. Highways officers have requested two off-street parking spaces and secure cycle storage, while the developers argue those requirements are excessive because the site cannot accommodate frontage parking. The rear extension and loft conversion already have separate approval, and Thurrock Council has not yet decided the application.

Plans have been submitted to convert the former Scarlett Fireplaces premises on London Road, Southend-on-Sea, into a hot food takeaway with seating for four to six customers. The business would operate from 11am to midnight daily and create three to four jobs. Proposed changes are mainly internal, with a new shopfront sign and glazing, while a noise assessment found no significant disturbance was expected. Southend Council has not yet decided the application; an earlier proposal to convert the property into a flat was rejected over bin storage, development impacts and wildlife protection concerns.

Thurrock Council has extended Grays’ Public Space Protection Order for three years, until at least 2029, and expanded it to cover additional areas including Church Path, Grays Beach Riverside Park, Thames Road and parts of the foreshore. Enforcement officers can move on people involved in street drinking, abusive or intimidating behaviour, spitting, harassment or public nitrous oxide use, confiscate substances and issue fixed penalty notices. People who breach the order can also be barred from returning to Grays for up to 48 hours.

An Asda Express petrol station on Thurrock Park Way in Tilbury has applied to Thurrock Council for a premises licence allowing the sale of alcohol for off-site consumption 24 hours a day, every day of the week. The application also seeks permission to provide hot food and drinks between 11pm and 5am. The proposed licence would match permissions already granted to the adjoining Asda store. Thurrock Council has not yet decided the application and must consider crime, public safety, nuisance and the protection of children.

Basildon Hospital recorded 857 instances of patients receiving emergency department care in corridors during June, averaging 29 cases a day and peaking at 43 on June 23. Southend and Broomfield hospitals reported no corridor care during the same period. Hospital leaders attributed the pressure to inadequate facilities and outlined funding for expanded ambulance offloading space, building repairs and other improvements. The trust says corridor care has fallen significantly and emergency waiting times have improved, but councillors questioned whether progress can continue alongside a £107 million savings programme.

House of Flow Pilates Studio, founded by Thurrock instructor Summer Lilley, is opening at the former Lounge Bar in Lakeside Business Village after eight to 12 weeks of refurbishment. A launch party is planned for Friday, with classes starting Saturday. The studio will offer hot yoga, hot sculpt, mat Pilates and several reformer Pilates classes, and will operate from early morning to evening on weekdays with shorter weekend hours.

David Lloyd Southend has applied to extend its premises licence to cover a new outdoor spa garden and a social area beside its padel courts, allowing alcohol sales and recorded music. The proposed changes form part of an investment programme that will relocate the indoor spa and make minor site-layout amendments. No changes to opening hours or day-to-day management are planned. Residents and other interested parties can submit comments until August 19, after which the licensing authority will decide the application.

Norton Place, a healthcare hub serving Shoebury, Southchurch and Thorpe Bay, may remain open despite the Southend East Primary Care Network facing a five-figure debt and considering closure as early as September. A local GP practice is exploring temporary use of part of the site during improvement works, although no agreement has been reached. Health leaders are reviewing costs and staffing while councillors seek assurances that the centre’s roughly 250 weekly appointments and associated NHS and community services will remain accessible.

Southend-on-Sea Council’s draft local plan proposes 14,700 homes, including up to 4,900 on green belt land between Shoebury and Rochford, despite the council challenging the Government’s target of more than 28,000 homes. Reform and Conservative councillors, along with local campaigners, say they will oppose any plan involving green belt development. Labour argues that concentrating growth north of Southend is the fairest approach, while critics say the proposed country park and infrastructure promises do not justify the loss of agricultural land or address residents’ concerns.

Southend Council is preparing to publish its final draft local plan, which would provide for up to 14,700 homes by 2045—well below the government-derived target of more than 28,000. About 4,900 homes are proposed for an infrastructure-led neighbourhood north of Southend, between Shoebury and Rochford, alongside transport improvements, schools, healthcare, employment space and a major country park. The plan would also strengthen affordable-housing requirements and controls on Houses in Multiple Occupation. The council says adopting it would give Southend greater control over development and reduce speculative applications, while the proposal proceeds to Regulation 19 consultation and later independent examination.

Southend Council has granted conditional planning permission to convert a family house on Woodside in Leigh into a children's home for two looked-after children, with two staff members working shifts. The decision followed 359 objections from residents and opposition from Belfairs councillors, who raised concerns about safety, noise, traffic and the impact of a 24-hour care operation on the residential street. Supporters argued that the foster-care system is in crisis and that vulnerable children need homes in Southend. Conditions will require two parking spaces and a detailed management plan covering outdoor use, noise, deliveries, security and neighbour complaints.

Southend resident David Smith reported waiting weeks for important letters, with several items arriving together well after their expected delivery dates. He previously collected five pieces of mail directly from Royal Mail’s Short Street delivery office after receiving no post at home. Royal Mail attributed local disruptions to issues such as staff sickness and absence, while stating that more than 92% of letters arrive on time nationally and that improving reliability is a priority. Reform UK councillor Frankie Bird said residents across Southend were reporting similar delays, including missed deadlines and disruption to hospital appointments.

Southend Council investigated more than 50 suspicious school applications and placed 15 under formal review for false address claims used to secure selective school places. Three offers were withdrawn and eight more recovered, with the council stressing that fraudulent applications deny places to local children. The Counter Fraud and Investigation Team reported £1.32 million in total financial benefit through fraud‑prevention efforts during 2025–26, warning that misleading information on school applications can lead to the loss of allocated places.

Southend councillors are set to vote on six planning applications, including proposals for care homes for young people, a 10‑bed HMO, a new quay wall and resurfacing at Leigh Port, a lift company showroom with a flat above, and retrospective extensions to a shop. Officers recommend approval for all applications subject to conditions covering biodiversity, noise, design standards, waste management, parking and environmental measures.

A Southend convenience store has applied to sell alcohol around the clock and lift restrictions on delivery hours, prompting objections from council and environmental health officers and a nearby resident over concerns about noise and public safety. Representatives for the applicant argued the extended hours would benefit shift workers and that the shop has no history of licensing issues. A decision from the licensing sub-committee is expected within days.

Thurrock Council approved the demolition of the three vacant Blackshots tower blocks due to structural concerns, outdated safety systems and increasing issues with vandalism and anti‑social behaviour. All tenants have been rehoused, and no final decision has been made on future redevelopment of the site. Councillors emphasized the need for sustainable plans and community involvement, with a detailed redevelopment proposal expected later in the year. Demolition could begin as early as January, with contractors required to limit disruption while the secured site remains under temporary management to prevent further deterioration.

A licensing decision due Friday will determine whether The Brunch Co in Leigh‑on‑Sea can sell alcohol on and off‑site, extend its hours and offer late‑night refreshments. Southend Council has been advised to approve the application, which proposes alcohol sales until midnight on weekends and broader opening hours throughout the week. Conditions include alcohol being served only to diners, implementation of Challenge 25 and installation of CCTV. Councillor Matt Dent expressed support for the business, which previously held a licence before the former operator’s liquidation.

More than 600 adults in Southend are under Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards as the council reviews the impact of a recent Supreme Court decision that broadens the legal test for determining deprivation of liberty. The ruling moves beyond the former “acid test” by requiring consideration of a person’s wishes, consent and the overall effect of restrictions. Southend Council will continue using current procedures while assessing the legal implications, advising care homes and hospitals to submit applications as usual, and emphasising its commitment to upholding rights under Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights.

Southend Council plans to grant Freedom of the City to long-serving councillor David Garston and award honorary alderman or alderwoman titles to six former councillors. Garston, recognised for 50 years of public service including time as mayor and cabinet member, expressed gratitude for the honour. Former councillor Martin Terry also welcomed his nomination, reflecting on his work in community safety and policing. The General Purposes committee will review and formalise the nominations.