Fans have been left furious on social media as their club learn of the council’s decision regarding the use of a defunct stadium.
A few days ago, we reported how Grays Athletic, current members of the Isthmian League North Division, pinned their hopes of moving to Thurrock FC’s Ship Lane ground.
They have been playing their home matches at Parkside in nearby Aveley, an 11 minute drive and 5 minutes away from Grays town centre.
In the past, as well as Aveley’s ground, they have ground-shared with East Thurrock United and the Rush Green Stadium.
The council’s planning committee met on Thursday to discuss the planning application for the Ship Lane stadium development, and the final decision has gone down badly.
A statement was issued, reading: “Grays Athletic Football Club are disappointed that the Thurrock Planning Committee voted to reject The Ship Lane planning application submitted by Group 1 Automotive.
“During the Committee Meeting, there were a number of inaccurate statements aired about our football club and we will ensure that the appropriate people are corrected.
“The club will consult with Group 1 in the next few days and will make a more detailed statement shortly afterwards.”
They added: “The morning after the night before. Like many of our supporters we wake feeling angry, confused but with a sense that justice will prevail. As our chairman says we are the club that refuses to die and we will fight our cause to the end. It is time now for us all to come together”
Since then however, they have retweeted a number of tweets after the club learn of the council’s decision regarding the use of the defunct stadium, see what they had to say…
@robdseaman81: Shocked and disgusted by the @thurrockcouncil planning committee’s councillors lack of knowledge towards @GraysAthleticFC arrogant, ill informed, self serving nonsense. They should hang their heads in shame.
@Grays_Athletic: Had a dream last night that Councillors from @thurrockcouncil publicly accused us of selling our ground, pocketing the cash, and trying to get a new ground for free.
@STIFFORDBLUE: Lot of mis information given out from the council about money from the sale of the old bridge road ground that definitely swayed the planning committee
@ETUYouth: Sorry to hear the refusal for @GraysAthleticFC tonight. Don’t give up
@tilburyfc: Sorry to hear the refusal tonight by @thurrockcouncil for @GraysAthleticFC planning application. don’t give up
@LSwallow74: You should be ashamed of yourselves @thurrockcouncil
@royfoord: So unfair i watched it most had made there minds up before proper discussion had even started
@RedCardShirts: Absolutely ridiculous. The ground is just sitting there not being used. What’s the issue here?
@adrian1875: Very disappointing. It was all negative from the outset.
@ScraleySam: The councillor who accused GAFC of selling their ground should publicly apologise. Those of them who complained about the loss of pitches – they haven’t been used. Sad day that the NIMBYs have got their way!
@CanveyUltras: Gutted for your guys there. Tuned in and you’ve been massively messed around
@red_u11: They were meant to vote on the green belt but they voted against HGV movement in Aveley village which wouldn’t been caused by the development. It was embarrassing to think these people are councillors.
@PaulWardUK: I am afraid the Thurrock Planning Committee let’s the community down again.
@branchy_boy: Disappointed
@Johnb19881: They say grays need a home in grays but yet there quick to turn down any plan in grays I get it with some of the parking space stuff but really to argue grays needs a place in grays when they can’t accept anything am I wrong or are they jokers
@manor_eja: After recent developments with @tilburyfc and @GraysAthleticFC goes to show how local councils hold the destiny of local grassroots football clubs in their hands. You really hope the council see how important football really is to the community.
@Lambpix1: Is there not a way GAFC could approach Sport England or whoever for a grant to lease Ship Lane? That would give them a foot in the door and the ground would then be used again?
@LeeWozza85: Disgusted, but not surprised in the slightest. Any doings i’ve had with the council always leave me with a sour taste in my mouth. As much use as an ashtray on a motorbike
@Bobby_H99: Unfortunately @GraysAthleticFC after listening to the meeting I believe that their minds were made up before it even began. Keep plugging away you’ll get there in the end
@adrian1875: Obviously didn’t/couldn’t be bothered doing their homework.
@afc_robbie: such a shame
@markoneill122no: Having watched the meeting, it was a classic case of decision makers going in with closed minds and failing to consider arguments. There is a football ground in the Borough going unused and a willing user who is being stopped from using it
@darren_manning: There is one thing @thurrockcouncil can’t deny @GraysAthleticFC. That is the passion, determination and loyalty of its volunteers and fans! GRAYS WILL RETURN TO GRAYS!
@geoffl65: The argument that “There’s already a football ground in Aveley” didn’t hold water for me….because until they went out of business Purfleet played there
@dcjarvis: Not a brilliant advert for representative democracy when approx 60% of the arguments against didn’t address valid planning concerns. Green belt arguments absolute rubbish in this context – just next to the M25
@Gigicfc: I said that, you could tell from the moment it started their minds were already made up!
@RussSopp: Absolutely disgusted by this tonight but not surprised – listened to some of the council meeting and the negativity coming from them was shocking. We fight on
@NJdelerium: Disappointing that members of the @thurrockcouncil planning ctte focused so much on the identity of the club who’d play at Ship Lane, which is entirely irrelevant to the application given that it is already a football ground. Cllr Lawrence spectacularly failed to set her prejudices aside when considering the app – if she had, she’d have focused on the main issues of flood risk, traffic assessment and greenbelt use, not ‘more football traffic’ and a load of misinformation about GAFC selling its’ soul. Pretty poor from her
@manor_eja: She also said if a lorry crashed it would hurt lots of people, you legally cannot reject a planning application based on speculating on the future. It has to be hard facts, also the EA did not object to the application which means the ctte cannot reject to due to flood risk
Fans continued to react as the club learn of the council’s decision regarding use of the defunct stadium…
@NJdelerium: Yes, that was a particular lowlight. I’m all for local people making local decisions, but for goodness sake consider things on the facts in front of you, not on things you’ve ‘heard’. Plenty to concern everybody about Group 1’s application, but none of them were to do w/football!
@HealyC100: @thurrockcouncil planning committee couldn’t even be bothered to do a site visit to ship lane. Local community in shock at lack of support from planning committee cllrs for sport in our area. Very special circumstances existed. AFRAID OF going against officer advice. Is that it?
@glynjarvis1: I regret that cut no ice. Corrections will be made to assumptions from some Councillors about the position when we were thrown off the ground in 2010. The section 106 money from the developers (£516K) was reported on our website in October 2020. NO MONEY WAS GIVEN TO THE CLUB.
@VictoriaGooner: Shocking to say the least. Feel gutted for @GraysAthleticFC for continued nomad experience. They deserve to be playing within the Grays area and not on the other side of London.
@JacobLewisP: Great that @thurrockcouncil lets the community down once again regarding @GraysAthleticFC. All the councillors other than the chair were misinformed with lack of evidence or knowledge. Clueless.
@HarryTheHammer_: If it were flats being considered that lot @thurrockcouncil wouldn’t think twice. But it was a car plant and a football stadium (so it was an actual benefit to the community), we can’t be having that! Hang your heads in shame, we need a complete upheaval of our council
@PinkyRound14: I think the club and Group 1 would have solid ground for an appeal based on rejection not being made correctly. The evidence from the meeting appears to show most of the councillors rejected the proposal on things other then the legal factors that should have been used!
This point jumps out at me – at least allow a rep of the club to clarify points, particularly about why we are homeless. How can a decision be made when they don’t have the facts? #BringGraysAthHome pic.twitter.com/IGigzBUiAE
— Sarah Smallbone (@MSarah_S) February 25, 2021
