The chairman of a community group which has worked tirelessly on the Purfleet Regeneration Scheme has spoken of his “deep sadness” over its failure after millions of pounds had been spent on it.

The scheme was scuppered after Homes England decided to withdraw £75million funding over delays to the scheme.

John Rowles, chairman of Purfleet on Thames Community Forum, spoke out at Thurrock Council cabinet meeting on Wednesday where councillors also heard the details of two other failed major schemes in the borough.

Mr Rowles said: “I must admit that I’m deeply saddened with where we are now because the forum has put in an incredible amount of work to support this project and we are now in a position where we don’t know what’s going to happen.

“When you go to Purfleet what do you see? A lot of houses but no social infrastructure whatsoever. I’ve lived in Purfleet for 43 years and the only thing I have seen is a new senior school in a place where it wasn’t our decision although we know we needed one, a new health centre which isn’t fit for purpose. It’s not big enough. We’ve gone from a community of 4,000 people in 1980. We’re now 12,000 people but what have we got to support it? Not a bean.”

The council recently confirmed £25million of the funding had already been spent.

Mr Rowles added: “That has been spent and we still haven’t got any infrastructure. I don’t know why the remaining £50million hasn’t been spent on something.

“Whether it was spent on the road or the bridge or improving the health centre that we’ve got. Why haven’t we moved forward? Why didn’t we make use of that funding?”

Mark Bradbury, the council’s director of place, who earlier in the meeting outlined details of the failed new Stanford-le-Hope Station and Grays underpass projects, said the remaining funding for Purfleet wasn’t spent because match-funding could not be found for it.

Mr Bradbury said the English Cities Fund and Homes England continued to show interest in supporting a future scheme for Purfleet.

George Coxshall, Conservative councillor for Belhus, said: “We have failed Purfleet. We haven’t delivered what was promised. We’re so many years down the line and there has been so many millions spent and there is the square root of near enough nothing and 17 finished houses on this scheme. This is absolutely unacceptable. Of all the three this is the one that shocks me the most because it’s the one we’ve always been committed to.”