£78k promise to fund six pre-school places

Canary Wharf Co has made the offer as part of its planning application to construct 80 flats and 20 houses on a small trading estate behind builder’s merchants Canvey Supply, in Point Road.

The contribution will fund six extra pre-school places in the area, which will be needed to meet the increased demand created by the new homes.

Lee Barratt, Castle Point councillor for Canvey East ward, believes the money would be better off improving the area’s roads and drains.

He said: “Speaking to residents in the area they are much more concerned about the impact this estate will have on the traffic and the sewage system than extra early-years places.

“That’s where they should be spending this money.

“£76,000 sounds like a lot of money, but I expect it will be a drop in the ocean compared to the millions of pounds they will make from these homes.”

The developer is planning to provide 176 additional car parking spaces to go with the new homes, while the estate will have its own access road off Point Road.

A traffic report from consultants Waterman Boreham has been included with the application, which concludes the new homes will have an insignificant impact on the existing road network.

Last year, Castle Point Council rejected Canary Wharf Co’s application to build 106 homes on the same site because the designs for the housing estate were too cramped.

The developer has made several changes to the plan, including reducing the height of the houses fronting Point Road, from three storey to two storey.

The developer has also reduced the number of homes by six and included new footpaths between the proposed blocks of flats.

It is believed Canvey Supplys, which has been based in Point Road for 80 years, will move to new premises elsewhere in the borough if the application is approved.

A spokesman for the firm said: “Canvey Supply will continue to trade if the planning application is granted, but we are not able to reveal any more details.”