LAST weekend I had the chance to visit Tilbury Riverside railway station, the subject of a bid for Heritage Lottery funding to turn the excellent Grade II building into a visitor attraction.

“By Thames to all peoples of the World” is our borough motto, but it strikes me that while the proximity to the River Thames is a major asset to our borough, we could make more of it as a tourist destination. I wish the Big Ocean Project every success in achieving that.

Speaking to those involved at the Tilbury Riverside Project at the open day on Saturday, it is striking the commitment they have to wanting the best for their community.

It is also striking that there is real unity between the community and the Port of Tilbury. It is a sense of partnership which Thurrock Council could emulate as it grapples with its planning powers after the demise of the Development Corporation.

The challenge is to deliver strong leadership without alienating local communities.

While we celebrate the strong local identities of our various communities we should not look at them in isolation. It strikes me that with some imagination we could bring together the various projects to develop a real vision for our borough going forwards.

So when we look at rejuvenating Grays we should not stop at the High Street, but extend down to the river and look at what else we can do to enhance Grays Beach as a leisure location.

We should also join up the plans for Grays with the vision for Tilbury to explore how we can maximise developing our heritage.

This needs to be achieved through dialogue with local communities. Spirit and passion in our communities is one of the best assets Thurrock has. The challenge is to harness that to benefit the whole borough.