®Planning appeal decision
Land To Rear Of 36 To 54 Grovelands Way, Grays, RM17 5YG
Planning appeal 6007409 at Land To Rear Of 36 To 54 Grovelands Way, Grays, RM17 5YG (Thurrock) was dismissed on 24 July 2026 by Inspector E Everitt, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area.
new eight residential apartments, distributed as two apartments per floor. The site layout includes eight car parking spaces, 1 Disabled Bay, 1 EV charging bay, eight covered cycle spaces, and a dedicated area for two recycling bin and one refuse bin. At the east side of the building, it opens onto a ground-floor patio, while to the east, a generous amenity space is provided for outdoor amenity space
- Authority
- Thurrock
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning
- Procedure
- Written
- Development
- residential
- Inspector
- E Everitt
- Postcode
- RM17 5YG
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the site and surrounding area
- whether the proposed development would provide acceptable living conditions for future occupiers, with regard to outdoor space
- the effect of the proposed development on the living conditions of occupiers of properties on Grovelands Way, with regard to outlook
- the effect of the proposed development on highway safety
What decided it
The proposal's harmful effects on character and appearance, and on the living conditions of both future and neighbouring occupiers, significantly and demonstrably outweigh the limited housing and sustainability benefits, even in the context of a shortfall in five-year housing land supply.
the adverse impacts of granting planning permission, comprising harm to character and appearance and to the amenity of existing and future occupiers, significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits of housing delivery, efficient use of brownfield land, and biodiversity net gain, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy PMD2Policy CSTP22Policy CSTP23Policy PMD1Policy PMD8
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 125Paragraph 135Paragraph 11
- Judgments
- Holborn Studios Ltd v The Council of the London Borough of Hackney [2017] EWHC 2823 (Admin)
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
Town Planner Pro holds this letter. The Appeals plan opens it and every other letter we hold, all of them searchable, with the main issues and what decided each case picked out. We do not show letters on the free site because they carry people’s names and addresses.
With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Thurrock
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2026
- Dismissed29 September 20266009919Land Rear of Ewen House, High Road, Fobbing, SS17 9JH
- Allowed28 August 202660088789 Lyndhurst Road, Corringham, SS17 7SJ
- Allowed27 July 20266010667Willow Cottage, Windsor Avenue, Grays, RM16 2UB
- Allowed9 July 20266003807Former London Brigade Sports & Social Club, Purfleet Road, Aveley, Thurrock, RM15 4DT
- Allowed16 April 20266001500Land At 22 And To Rear Of 18 To 28 Fairview Avenue, Stanford Le Hope, Essex, SS17 0DW
The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.