FAQs

The consultation was regarding the demolition and potential redevelopment of the Blackshots Towers. The purpose of the consultation was to engage with local residents, businesses, and communities, to seek their views and comments for proposals

The Thurrock Council Housing Development team lead this project and are supported by various external consultants 

Grays is a popular place to live, which means there is an ongoing high-demand for a range of different types of new housing; from flats to larger family-sized houses. 

In June 2022, an assessment identified the need for the Council to meet the housing demand, 1181 homes are needed per year. To date, Thurrock have yet to meet that target, however, this scheme will go a long way to helping the Borough to achieve this. 

The Council housing register currently has 4546 active housing applications as of January 2024. Building new homes will help to reduce the number of people waiting for affordable council housing.

We are working closely with the residents in the towers, assessing their housing needs, and discussing the available options with them. The residents are being supported and guided through the process of arranging alternative accommodation whilst the redevelopment is underway, 

Tenants within the towers will be given a home loss and disturbance payment. A home loss payment is a statutory payment made to compensate tenants for having to permanently move out of their home. Disturbance payments cover "reasonable expenses" involved in moving. Reasonable expenses include the redirection of post and carpets. 

Once the development is complete, we will be contacting residents who have moved from the blocks as part of the process and who have expressed an interest to return to the area. We will consider their housing needs at the time and present a range of options - if residents wish to remain where they are then this will be entirely acceptable. 

For the proposal to go-ahead, the Council will need to buy back all leasehold properties within the three Blackshots Tower Blocks. Our Home Ownership Team will contact each Leaseholder to arrange for their properties to be valued. Once the properties have been valued, the Council will make an offer to buy back each of the properties.

A Home Loss payment of between 7.5% and 10% of the property's value will also be made in addition, depending on whether the leaseholder is resident or non-resident. Reasonable disturbance payments such as legal costs, stamp duty on alternative property bought, mortgage redemption fees and removal expenses (for resident leaseholders only) may also be payable.

Non-resident leaseholders should ensure that the appropriate notice is served on their sub tenants to ensure that they move out prior to completion of the sale as vacant possession will be required by the Council at this time. Further details can be obtained via email homeownership@thurrock.gov.uk.

Tenants of non-resident leaseholders are referred to the councils Housing Options team for further support and advice.

Thurrock Council have prepared a Local Plan Initial Proposals document to set out how we think the borough could grow and what we think a new Local Plan for Thurrock should look like. Consultation on the Local Plan – Initial Proposals Document and its accompanying Integrated Impact Assessment began on Monday 18 December 2023 and will end at 5pm on Monday 19 February 2024.

The Blackshots Tower redevelopment scheme is included within the Local Plan: Initial Proposals document. The Initial Proposals document sets out information about how places in the borough might grow, change, and adapt over the next 15-20 years. For more information on the emerging Local Plan and to take part in the consultation please visit: thurrock.gov.uk/localplan.

No, these are not the final designs. These are initial designs to assess public views on the proposal. This is to gain insight of the use of space. However, it is likely that the site designs that have been proposed, will form the basis of the final designs.

Not as part of this project, however, funding will be required from the project to support wider health and education infrastructure in the locality.

The construction programme is forecast to be between 18-24 months from starting construction on site to completion, however, the construction timeframe of the new development depends on several factors and therefore development timescales may be subject to change.

Current designs anticipate 258 new homes will be built; this would be a total of 90 additional new homes being constructed once the existing 168 homes in the tower blocks are demolished. These will be a mix of houses, bungalows and flats varying in scale from one-bedroom apartments to four-bedroom houses.

The highest apartment blocks will be six storeys accompanied with other low-rise three-storey apartment blocks, houses, and bungalows.

A discussion is going on with Fields in Trust for the use of a small portion of King Georges Field for the development. It is subject to the provision of alternative public open space being provided, which must be at least as large as any land taken for development. This is in line with Fields in Trust policies. The Council will need to come to an agreement with Fields in Trust to provide suitable alternative open space and obtain planning permission before we could commence construction.

No agreement with Fields in Trust has yet been sought, however, preliminary discussions have taken place. Further detailed negotiations will be required in due course followed by a formal application to Fields in Trust.

300 parking spaces will be provided across the two sites for residents to use, this in line with Thurrock Council planning policy. The spaces will provide more than enough capacity for visitors or future growth in car ownership without impacting on the on-street parking capacity in the area.

On-street parking, parking integrated into courtyards, and in some cases private parking spaces within back gardens will all be provided for the residents. Parking will not be allocated and will be on a first come first served basis.

The contractor will be required to put in place a construction management plan to deal with impacts on the surrounding street network.

The proposals show that a relocation of the existing tennis courts will be required. As such, we are exploring alternative locations within the area.

One of the benefits of the Blackshots site is that it is located within walking and cycling distance of public transport routes and local services such as shops and schools. This will help to encourage sustainable transport choices, reducing reliance on cars and helping to achieve quieter, healthier streets and communities.

That said, we recognise that having access to a car is still important for many residents. We have modelled the impact of the traffic associated with the new development to ensure that the local highway network can accommodate the additional traffic. This will identify whether any improvements or mitigation measures are required e.g., junction improvements or traffic calming measures. Our approach will be further assessed when a planning application is submitted.

The council plans to use the money retained from sales of council homes under the Right to Buy, coupled with borrowing paid for by the rental income of the new homes built. A range of approvals will be required including from HM Treasury to allow this borrowing because of the Council’s current financial position.

Yes, there will be opportunities to comment on future proposals. This round of engagement is classed as phase 1. As designs are developed, there will be planned phase 2 engagement. Followed by a statutory consultation during the planning process.

This engagement process has helped us gain a better understanding of the community’s needs and aspirations of this development resulting in a preferred proposal for the area. The consultation has helped shape the proposal with the community’s main priorities, including green open spaces, play areas, limiting the heights on the new buildings, tackling current parking issues, enhancing biodiversity, sustainable buildings, and creating an overall safe healthy neighbourhood.

Research shows that areas of estate regeneration tend to have a positive impact on prices, this can be because regeneration not only provides new high-quality housing it will also improve local infrastructure, parks, and public spaces within the local area. Estate regeneration brings  enhancements to the public realm, connectivity, and local amenities, and can transform an area to a more desirable place to live in. As a result, demand for homes around the regeneration zone tends to increase.