Grays Athletic FC: Council approves club's move to green belt stadium

The club said although the secretary of state still needed to sign it off, the ratification allowed them "to plan in detail"

A football club which has been without a permanent home for 13 years has been given the green light to move into a disused stadium.

Thurrock councillors were split on whether to approve plans for Grays Athletic FC to take over Thurrock FC's former ground in Aveley, Essex.

The planning committee chairman cast a deciding vote in favour on Thursday.

However, the government will have the final say on the decision as the stadium stands on green belt land.

A car preparation plant on the site was approved in July, with plans for Group 1 Automotive to gift the stadium to Grays FC.

Planning officers had advised against the development due it being on the green belt.

Grays Athletic, who play in the Isthmian League North Division, have been without a permanent home since the New Recreational Ground in Grays was sold by the council for housing.

Since then, the 133-year-old club has rented various local facilities.

In a statement posted online, The Gravelmen said the council's support for the application had ensured the club would "remain an integral part of Thurrock for generations to come".

The club said although the secretary of state still needed to sign it off, the ratification allowed them "to plan in detail".

The stadium has become overgrown since Thurrock FC disbanded in 2018

Only four councillors were able to vote on an application on Thursday, with two voting in favour and two against.

Committee chairman Tom Kelly said the move would generate "hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of business rates" for Thurrock Council, which he said had "hit financial difficulty".

Lee Watson, Labour councillor for West Thurrock and Stifford, Lee Watson, said business rates "do not feature in a planning application" and should not be taken into consideration.

Voting against the plan, she said the move was "detrimental to our green belt" and to the Mardyke river.

Paul Arnold, Conservative councillor for Ockendon, said he could also not support an application "with this level of destruction of the green belt" as it offered "very little added benefit to the borough".

He said that promises of creating 30 jobs could not "warrant the scale of car parking", adding: "I'm quite appalled by this."

However, Georgette Polley, Conservative councillor for Belhus, supported the application, as she said it would support jobs and increase sports facilities and healthy activity.