Council secures interim High Court injunction over 100+ acres of Green Belt land

Thurrock Council has this month obtained an interim High Court injunction preventing any further unauthorised development on more than 100 acres of Green Belt land.

This follows a court hearing on 6 August 2020 relating to the site, which is north of Buckles Lane and south of Mollands Lane, South Ockendon.

The local authority said a consent order was agreed by the involved parties and sealed by the court on 13 August 2020.

This will ensure the interim injunction will continue until a trial is heard later in the year to determine if it will be made permanent, it said.

Leader of Thurrock Council, Cllr Rob Gledhill, said: "Our Environmental and Planning Enforcement officers working in partnership proactively identified an area of green belt land where unauthorised development was being carried out.

“The teams obtained evidence of this development, reacting quickly, and working closely with our legal team, to obtain an interim injunction preventing any further unauthorised development at the site.”

Cllr Gledhill added: "We are committed to ensuring all areas of the borough are developed in line with legal requirements, and national and local planning policy. Any breaches of planning control are investigated by our officers.

"The High Court action we have taken is part of continuing activity at the site to deal with unauthorised development and is part of our overall development strategy.

"Being granted this injunction gives us the powers we need to protect our land more effectively and should act as a deterrent for any future areas of land that might be at risk of unauthorised development.”