A ROW over the restoration of a landfill site into a country park continues to rumble on.
 

Cory Environmental’s transformation of Mucking landfill site in Stanford-le-Hope into a wildlife haven was due to be completed by December 2011, but the company failed to meet the deadline.
 

It applied to the now defunct Thurrock Thames Gateway Development Corporation for more time to complete the work in January, but the bid was refused.
 

Cory is now hopeful Thurrock Council’s planning committee will take a different view, and have asked for the restoration of the site to be extended until December 2016, with the work to be completed on the 319 acre site by June 2018.


The application was debated for around an hour-and-a-half at last night’s planning meeting, with the committee eventually resolving to defer the application so some of the committee’s questions can be answered.


The development corporation decided to reject the company’s original application after being convinced by residents and ward councillors for East Tilbury that their roads have been blighted by lorries transporting material to the site for long enough.

Part of the Thameside Nature Park, which is run by Essex Wildlife Trust, has already been restored and is open to the public.


*Full story in Friday’s Gazette