East of Chadwell St Mary
Welcome to our consultation on East of Chadwell St Mary
Welcome
Thank you for visiting our consultation website for East of Chadwell St Mary, Thurrock.
Thurrock, like many areas, faces a housing shortage. Our local community consultation presents an emerging masterplan which aims to create a vibrant new neighbourhood to help meet this need with health and educational facilities, well connected green spaces and an extensive new network of cycleways and footpaths.
It’s not just about houses; it’s about creating attractive homes that work for everyone in the community with associated infrastructure, services and facilities. With this development, Bloor Homes will help Thurrock meet its housing needs while providing a range of options for local families. We understand the challenge of finding a suitable home, whether you’re a young family or someone looking to downsize. This development will offer a variety of housing options, giving residents the opportunity to stay in the community they love.
Please scroll through this website to learn more about our vision.
Why Your Input Matters
We are committed to delivering a new neighbourhood that responds to the aspirations and priorities of the local community. That’s why your feedback is essential. Before submitting our outline planning application to Thurrock Council, we are seeking your views on the emerging masterplan proposals.
This is an important opportunity to help shape the design and layout of East of Chadwell St Mary, ensuring it becomes an attractive extension to the community, that provides a range of local benefits.
The Process
This consultation has now closed. However, we invite you to explore the masterplan for East of Chadwell St Mary, which is part of preparing an outline planning application, setting out the broad design principles of the development along with details of the access locations and environmental enhancement. Details of the final appearance, house types, materials and exact location of roads and the layout of green spaces will be set out at a later stage through reserved matters applications if outline permission is granted. At the reserved matters stage, there will be further opportunities for consultation with the community on the detailed plans before development commences.
The Site
Located to the east of Chadwell St Mary and north of Linford Road, this site is part of a larger area identified in Thurrock’s emerging Local Plan (the Initial Proposals Regulation 18 Document, December 2023) as a suitable location for a new neighbourhood with homes, local centre, primary school and other facilities.
Across Thurrock, there is significant need for a variety of housing types, and we want to address this need by providing a range of homes suited to different lifestyles.
Planned comprehensively, the homes will fund investment in enhanced education, social amenities, and local infrastructure, and particularly with improvements to highways and transport.
A substantial part of the site will set aside for well-connected open green spaces such as playing fields and 30 hectares of Sustainable Alternative Natural Greenspaces (SANG). SANGs provide extensive community parklands available for quiet recreation, such as dog-walking and nature walks whilst in this case protecting the important sensitive coastal wildlife sites and enhancing wildlife habitats. The SANG is being proposed to the south of Linford Road and will be carefully designed to enhance ‘The Common’ as part of West Tilbury’s Conservation Area.
We are working closely with Officers from Thurrock Council to ensure that our proposals are tailored to provide the right mix of homes, local amenities and facilities that are required in the area.
Our Masterplan
Key components of the masterplan proposal include:
New East/West linear park/extension to Wickham Park.
Improved connectivity, with links to key public transport services such as railway stations, cycle infrastructure, new bus routes as well as new footpaths and improvements to existing Public Rights of Ways.
Up to 1,500 homes offering a mix of types and tenures to accommodate various local community needs, including 50%/750 affordable homes.
Educational improvements including a new two form entry primary school and nursery and land for a potential secondary school at a later date. - the purple bit on the map
Provision of a new local centre at the heart of a walkable community with space for community facilities such as local retail, nursery and health.
Educational improvements including a new two form entry primary school and nursery and land for a potential secondary school at a later date.
Sports pitches and connected open green spaces for all to enjoy.
A new link road between Brentwood Road and Linford Road to enable traffic to avoid the centre of Chadwell and supporting improvements to the Cross Keys Junction.
A landscape-led development offering 30 hectares of SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace), play areas and walking trails.
Virtual Exhibition
Benefits
Delivering a variety of much-needed housing:
Addressing the significant housing shortage in Thurrock by providing 50% (up to 750) affordable dwellings, including a full range of house types for all walks of life.
A landscape-led development:
Over half of the site set out as attractive landscape and well-connected open spaces for the community to enjoy, enhancing the local environment and promoting connection with nature near people’s homes.
Improving Accessibility:
A walkable and compact new neighbourhood, with improvements to existing pedestrian and cycle routes, bus services and connectivity to East Tilbury Station. A new mobility hub in the local centre.
Supporting local highways:
Delivery of a new north/south link road to help traffic avoid junctions such as Cross Keys and make the network more resilient.
A new vibrant and distinctive community:
Incorporating a new local centre with retail, health facilities and other local services at the heart of a walkable community.
Improving access to local education:
A new 2 form entry primary school, nursery and safeguarded land for a future secondary school.
Boosting the local economy:
Creating local jobs both during construction and after completion, benefiting Thurrock’s economy and businesses.
Supporting healthy lifestyles:
Provision of new sports pitches, play areas and natural open space for recreation, encouraging physical activity.
Habitat Creation:
Significant areas of habitat creation to enable wildlife to thrive alongside new homes and a gain in biodiversity.
Considerations
Our community consultation provides an overview of the vision for this new community. When the outline planning application is submitted, it will include detailed technical and environmental reports, surveys and plans that will be available for all to view and comment on.
Helping to Meet Housing Need
Thurrock is currently facing a housing shortage, with over 4,000 people currently on the Council’s housing register.
Younger generations and families are finding it increasingly difficult to find housing close to their family networks due to high property costs. Similarly, older residents who wish to downsize are struggling to find suitable homes that allow them to remain within the community they’ve called home for years.
Bloor Homes is committed to addressing this issue by delivering up to 1,500 homes, including 50% affordable, providing local residents with opportunities to remain close by.
Nature and Landscaping
East of Chadwell St Mary is being designed with extensive and connected green open spaces throughout, offering residents valuable outdoor areas. The proposed landscape framework includes:
- 30 hectares of Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG), a large natural area for people to enjoy, opening this land to the public.
- New linear park incorporating water features extending eastwards from Wickham Park to the wider countryside along Hoford Road.
- Preservation and enhancement of the West Tilbury Conservation Area.
- Wide range of connected open green spaces including children’s play areas.
- Introduction of Community Orchards and food growing areas.
- Retaining the existing lake at High House Lane.
- Preservation of existing trees and hedgerows and further landscaping to create soft rural edges and help screen major infrastructure such as the Lower Thames Crossing
- New sports pitches and changing facilities east of Hoford Road.
- Significant areas of habitat creation for wildlife to increase biodiversity
At Bloor Homes, green spaces are a priority. We collaborate with ecologists from the outset, carefully assessing how existing habitats and species can be protected and how a range of new habitats can be incorporated within the new neighbourhood, encouraging wildlife.
Drainage and Reducing Flood Risk
There will be no increased risk of flooding associated with the development. A thorough study has been conducted, and a sustainable drainage strategy is being developed to ensure the necessary management of water on site. This will be published and available when the outline planning application is submitted. This strategy will include features designed to facilitate natural and safe drainage, effectively reducing any potential risk of flooding whist creating attractive features as part of a new linear park connecting Hoford Road with Wickham Park.
Transport and Movement
A full transport assessment is currently being prepared, which includes traffic surveys and modelling of nearby junctions to identify where improvements are required. This also includes other permitted developments to ensure testing is robust.
The masterplan proposes a new link between Linford Road and Brentwood Road, reducing pressure at key junctions such as Cross Keys. Upgrades to local transport infrastructure will be designed to provide better transport links for the wider community, support active travel and better public transport access, reduced car use and improved road safety.
Active Travel
Bloor Homes is committed to creating neighbourhoods that people truly want to live in. To achieve this, we will design new footpaths and dedicated cycleways, allowing residents to enjoy their surroundings while moving throughout the area and providing easier safer access to facilities, including railway stations. A new mobility hub is proposed in the local centre.
Our plans will integrate with the existing fabric of Chadwell St Mary and opportunities for improvements to existing local routes will be identified. The proposed development will also open links with the countryside to the east creating gateways to open spaces, footpaths and bridleways.
Vehicular Access
Access would be from two locations: one off the Brentwood Road to the north and the second from Linford Road to the south. A smaller access to proposed new sports pitches would be off Hoford Road. The details of these accesses will be included in the outline planning application alongside a comprehensive transport statement, providing specifics on how the site will be accessed and how traffic will be managed effectively. This statement will ensure that all access arrangements support safe and efficient movement within and around the development.
The new internal link road will connect the main access points and is to be completed in the early phases. This will enable traffic to access the site toward the A13 without passing through Chadwell St Mary and for bus services to serve the new homes.
Heritage
Existing key heritage assets including West Tilbury Conservation Area and Listed Buildings and their settings will be protected. Investigations to identify key archaeological features on the site are being undertaken to ensure that any key archaeology is retained on site in open space areas and appropriately recorded.
Virtual Exhibition
Virtual exhibition to be uploaded soon
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: How many homes are proposed?
A: This is an outline planning application, where the maximum number of homes and other key parameters relating to land uses will be agreed. The exact amount will be agreed through the future, detailed applications, but we envisage this will be up to 1,500 homes.
Q: Will the development include affordable homes?
A: Yes, the development will feature at least 50% (up to 750) affordable homes, providing more opportunities for local people to get on the property ladder. A variety of tenures will be available, with the exact types and number of affordable homes to be agreed with the Council and finalised at the reserved matters detailed application stage.
Q: Will the new homes be built all at the same time?
A: No, the development will be phased and built out over a period of around 12-15 years, with a construction management plan to minimise disruption to the local area and ensure a smooth delivery of new homes and associated infrastructure. The local centre and primary school would be developed at a relatively early stage to ensure that key facilities are in place early.
Q: Will there be a Section 106 agreement as part of the planning process?
A: Yes, a Section 106 agreement will be part of the planning process, and the specific contributions will be determined as the plans progress. A S106 agreement is a legal agreement between the developer and the local authority that sets out the financial contributions and other key commitments from the developer that are directly linked to the development and are necessary to make the development acceptable.
Q: What will happen to public rights of way (PROWs) during construction?
A: During construction, the PROWs may need to be temporarily closed or diverted to ensure safety. However, once the development is complete, the PROWs will be reopened and enhanced. The new design will include green spaces and improved accessibility features, creating a better experience for the wider community.
Q: Will the proposed local centre include a health centre?
A: Space will be provided for a potential health centre. Bloor Homes will work with the NHS to explore the feasibility of delivering a health centre as part of the development.
Q: What retail options will be available?
A: The development will include space for a variety of retail options. Bloor Homes is committed to working with the local community to understand their needs and will collaborate with local businesses to provide facilities that best serve residents. This could include options such as a local café, restaurant, and a convenience store. The development will include flexibility to accommodate a range of uses.
Q: What is SANG?
A: SANG (Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace) is a type of large park or green space created to give people an attractive place to walk and enjoy nature right on their doorstep, so they don’t overcrowd sensitive protected wildlife areas further afield at the coast. It will have wide range of habitats, circular walks and dog walking areas.
Q: What measures are being taken to reduce congestion and improve road safety?
A: Traffic studies have been conducted to assess local traffic, and measures such as road improvements and sustainable transport options will be introduced to help manage flow. The development will include a new north south link route between Linford Road and Brentwood Road, relieving pressure on key junctions. There will also be improved road layouts, pedestrian crossings, and an extensive network of cycle paths.
Q: Will new access roads or junctions be created as part of the development?
A: The main access points are proposed off Brentwood Road to the north and Linford Road from the south, with a minor access to sports pitches only off Hoford Road. An internal link between these junctions will enable some traffic to avoid existing routes in Chadwell St Mary and provide bus access.
Q: How will local transport be impacted by the proposals?
A: Bloor Homes will work with Thurrock Council to ensure residents have convenient access to local transport. This will include introducing a new bus route and improving connections to local train stations. We will also consider how we can improve or extend proposals to be delivered by the Lower Thames Crossing. A construction environmental management plan will also be agreed with the Council before work starts to control lorry routing and limit disturbance to existing residents.
Q: What impact will the Lower Thames Crossing and the Norwich to Tilbury National Infrastructure Projects have on the masterplan?
A: The impact of both projects is being carefully considered and discussed with the promoters of those projects. It is anticipated that the outline application will for the new community will be submitted with two versions of the masterplan for flexibility showing how it would work with and without the proposed National Infrastructure Projects. Work will also be ongoing to refine the detail and phasing of works to minimise any impact.
Q: How will Bloor Homes positively impact the local community during the development?
A: Bloor Homes is dedicated to positively impacting the local community throughout the development’s lifetime and during construction. We plan to use local suppliers and contractors and are exploring the possibility of offering apprenticeship opportunities. Details about these apprenticeships will be confirmed as the plans progress.
Q: How will the proposed development impact local schools and educational facilities?
A: Bloor Homes has carefully considered the impact on local education services and has included provision for both a nursery and a two-form entry primary school within its masterplan. Additionally, land has been safeguarded to come forwards as a secondary school later should the Education Authority decide that it is needed, depending on the number of places in existing secondary schools.
Q: What are the next steps?
A: The local community has until Tuesday 13th May to submit their comments as part of the consultation. There will be two public exhibitions on both Friday 25th and Saturday 26th April at Chadwell Village Hall. All feedback will be reviewed and summarised and Bloor Homes will submit its application in summer 2025.
Have your Say
This consultation has now closed. Please do contact a member of the team if you have any questions. Contact details can be found in the ‘Get in Touch’ section below.
Get in Touch
You can contact the project team and share your feedback by:
- Emailing us with your comments, questions or feedback at: bloorhomes-chadwellstmary@havingyoursay.co.uk
- Calling the team on 0161 711 0293 (lines open Monday – Friday, 9:00am to 5:30pm)
- Writing to us at FREEPOST SHAPE TOMORROW
All feedback received will be summarised and responded to in a Statement of Community Involvement which will be submitted to Thurrock Council alongside the outline planning application in Summer.
ABOUT US
Bloor Homes was established in 1969 by our Chair and founder, John Bloor OBE. We remain a privately owned business with a proud history of building quality homes and are committed to delivering homes and communities with a focus on quality, design and place making, ensuring that high standards are maintained more than 55 years later.
Our dedicated team, from planners and designers to tradespeople and customer service professionals, is committed to creating well-designed, high-quality homes that we would be proud for our own families to live in. This commitment has earned us a 5-star Home Builders Federation rating for six consecutive years, and over 97% of our homeowners would recommend us to family and friends.
As a financially independent and family-owned business, we bring national expertise with regional knowledge. We have a proven track record in delivering strategic land and work in partnership with landowners and councils. Our focus on locally distinctive placemaking and community engagement ensures that we build homes that contribute positively to the areas we serve. We value long-term relationships and are dedicated to creating lasting legacies through our developments.