Public Invited to Share Views on 412-Home Development in Corringham

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A major housing proposal in Corringham has entered the public consultation phase. Developer Mulberry Strategic Land outlines plans for a 412-home development alongside new community infrastructure.

Mulberry Strategic Land has launched a formal consultation process for its proposal to build up to 412 low-rise homes on a 54-acre site north of Southend Road in North East Corringham. The site, if approved, would include a primary school, a care home, and a 2,000 square metre supermarket in what the developer calls a “new neighbourhood” designed to meet local needs. An outline planning application is expected to be submitted to Thurrock Council later this summer.

Local Benefits

The proposed homes will be capped at three storeys and are intended to blend into the wider Corringham area. In its consultation documents, Mulberry says it has revised the plans based on earlier community feedback, adding features such as a shop, a school, and a care facility in response to local concerns about infrastructure and amenities.

A spokesperson for the company stated: “With everything to serve the community’s needs on its doorstep, we want to create a great place to live in North East Corringham. We are keen to move forward with our updated proposals and believe they reflect what residents have asked for.”

The consultation is open until August 1, and the developer is encouraging residents to take part by visiting its dedicated website: www.northeastcorringham.co.uk.

The development comes as Thurrock faces a growing housing shortage. Figures from 2024 show that more than 4,900 people remain on the borough’s social housing waiting list, while only 173 new homes were completed between 2022 and 2023.

Mulberry Strategic Land argues that its plan will help ease that pressure, claiming the scheme will deliver a “policy-compliant” number of affordable homes. The company has also highlighted wider economic benefits, including job creation, local spending, and infrastructure investment.

“There is a serious need for more housing for local people,” the developer added. “This development will make a real difference by increasing the supply of much-needed homes and delivering wider investment for the Corringham area.”

The proposal follows a controversial decision last year, when Mulberry successfully overturned Thurrock Council’s refusal of a separate scheme in East Tilbury. The council had rejected plans for up to 1,000 homes on green belt land, but the Planning Inspectorate upheld the developer’s appeal. That decision left the council with an £87,000 legal bill and drew criticism from residents and councillors alike.

The company’s victory in East Tilbury came amid ongoing national pressure to increase housing supply, with the central government pushing a target of 1.5 million new homes and a possible re-evaluation of green belt protections. This broader policy direction has sparked concern in local communities about unchecked expansion and loss of green space.

This is not the first time development has been considered for this site. In 2014, applications for up to 750 homes were submitted by Cogent Land Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), but those proposals were later withdrawn.

Mulberry hopes its revised and more comprehensive vision for the area, which strongly emphasizes community infrastructure and affordable housing, will receive a more positive response. The consultation and forthcoming planning application outcome will determine whether Corringham is set to welcome this significant new neighbourhood.