200 LETTERS OF SUPPORT RECEIVED
Thank you for continuing to follow the fortunes of Grays Athletic.
The council planning department have now received 200 letters of support, with only 45 letters of objection received.
We would like to thank every single one of supporters that have submitted a letter of support it is greatly appreciated. There is still time however to submit a letter of support, lets keep the momentum going and show the powers that be that this application should be approved.
Our football club is at an important stage of our long history and really needs your help.
Thurrock Council are due to meet on the 6th April to decide on the planning application to redevelop land next to former Thurrock Football Club in Ship Lane.
The planning application is to develop currently unused and uncared for land behind the football stadium and transform it into a car preparation plant.
As part of this application the current unused and derelict football ground will be gifted to Grays Athletic for community use as well as a new 3g pitch being Installed at Belhus by the leisure centre.
Having a stadium to call our own again after 13 years would be huge for the club and secure our long-term future.
What the club are asking is for followers of the club to submit supporting letters to the council to say why having our own stadium could benefit the club and our local community.
If we had our own stadium we could do more for the community, have more teams and be the focal point of football in Thurrock.
We would like as many people as possible to go to the following link and register with Thurrock Council, it is very easy to do...and then simply register your support of the application which can be found here: SHIP LANE APPLICATION - COMMENT HERE

This would be the preferred method of contacting the council, however, if this proves difficult, please contact Robert Seaman directly on 07740464238 and he would be happy to help.
Alternatively, you can write a letter of support to:-
Genna Henry
Senior Development Manager
Thurrock Council
New Road
Grays
RM17 6SL

WHILST IT IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT FOR YOU TO PERSONALISE ANY RESPONSE (ie by stating yours, your family or friends involvement and/or interest in community football/sport/youth opportunities etc), the following information is a guide in what elements you could highlight in support of the application:-
From a football club and community perspective, the following themes could be used -
Bringing a disused football ground back into community use and include a legally binding agreement that will keep the ground for everlasting community football use.
Encouraging young boys and girls from age 5 to 16 to play football, along with those aged 16+ to study a BTEC Sports course at the ground.
Provide a pathway for youngsters through youth football to Under 23s and Senior Men and Women's football.
Here are a few potential benefits to think about -
The PDI facility will bring over 30 new jobs to the area, including two permanent new jobs at Grays Athletic Community Football Club.
HGV turnaround along Ship Lane and CCTV monitoring to reduce and even eliminate HGV traffic into Aveley Village via Ship Lane.
Massive bio-diversity net gain with wildflower planting close to the Mardyke, supporting bee, bird and insect species to thrive in this location.
The inclusion of vehicle charging points will support the transition to electric cars when the sale of new petrol and diesel cars is banned from 2030 in the UK.
If you could put something in to support us getting our own ground we could one day soon have our very own facility for us all to benefit from.
Thank you for taking the time to read this detailed information and for your continued support of our club.
GRAYS ATHLETIC COMMUNITY FOOTBALL CLUB
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