PLANNING in Thurrock is one area which has constantly frustrated me.

Over and over again we see the council’s planning committee ignoring its obligations under the law and making eccentric decisions. Whether it is Baker Street, just last week, 76 High Street, or the London Fire Brigade site, the council planning committee is not doing its job and is letting Thurrock down.

I am delighted planning law has been upheld by the Secretary of State’s decision to reject the application for the Fire Brigade site. Let’s just remind ourselves. The committee approved this application twice, despite officers recommending there were no grounds to do so. Councillors need to understand, they can’t just please themselves. They have to uphold the law and apply local planning policies.

So why did they approve it?

I can only speculate. The proposal to fund a sports hall at Treetops might have had something to do with it. But that was an abuse of planning law.

The £2.8m package of benefits proposed by the developer was not focused on the additional burdens on the community in Aveley, and did not add up to the value of what was due under planning law. On all levels, this was a bad deal for the community. So bad was the decision, the council couldn’t defend it at the inquiry.

Treetops should have its sports hall. It was promised to them by the council in 2009 and it is time that was delivered without relying on planning applications to deliver it. But councillors need to take their responsibilities seriously and not be fooled by eye-catching offers, which allow developers to get away with doing less than they should.

When they approved this decision, I said I had no confidence in the planning committee.

That stands.