Cllr Richard Bingley has issued a statement to set the record straight that Langdon Hills Country Park was not at risk from development.
Cllr Richard Bingley said: “Rumours are continuing to circulate about plans to build on Langdon Hills Country Park. Once again I want to reiterate that the park is protected from sale or development by Thurrock Council. As soon as our due diligence over the summer showed that a small area of the country park had been included in a list of asset disposals, we immediately moved to protect it from sale. This happened in mid-August as the timeline below shows. Any claims from people outside of our borough that they have saved the country park this September are completely false.”
Timeline
2025 – A promoter approached the Council regarding the assembly of land interests to support a potential Special Educational Needs (SEN) provision and wider development opportunity. The Council included an adjoining parcel of land within the initial discussions as both Council-owned parcels formed part of a contiguous landholding. It was only through the subsequent consultation process and detailed due diligence undertaken in 2026 that the full relationship between this land, Langdon Hills Country Park, the SSSI and the stewardship arrangements was established.
July/August 2025 – Specialist property advisers were instructed to support negotiations, valuation and due diligence associated with the proposed transaction.
December 2025 – A Red Book valuation was obtained to inform consideration of the proposed disposal.
18 March 2026 – Cabinet approved the principle of disposal as part of the next tranche of assets within the Asset Disposal Programme.
June 2026 – Following Cabinet approval, a draft Section 123 assessment was prepared to ensure any proposed transaction could be assessed against the Council's statutory obligations.
2 July 2026 – Statutory Open Space Notices were reviewed by Legal Services.
16 July 2026 – An Open Space Notice was published in accordance with the Council's statutory obligations under Section 123 of the Local Government Act 1972, commencing the required consultation period.
17 July 2026 – The Council's Country Parks team formally raised concerns regarding the relationship between the land, Langdon Hills Country Park, the Langdon Hills Ridge SSSI and the Higher Level Stewardship arrangements. This prompted a wider review involving Property, Legal, Leisure and Country Parks officers.
July to August 2026 – Further due diligence was undertaken, including consideration of consultation responses, environmental constraints, stewardship obligations, legal advice and the operational relationship between the land and Langdon Hills Country Park.
13 August 2026 – Following discussions arising from this review the woodland and SSSI were excluded from the proposed acquisition. This position was communicated to Legal Services and agreed between the parties.
Current Position – The land associated with Langdon Hills Country Park and the SSSI is no longer being progressed as part of the proposed disposal and will remain in Council ownership. Following the consultation responses and subsequent due diligence, the Council concluded that it was appropriate to exclude this land from any proposed transaction.
In summary, whilst Cabinet approved the principle of disposal in March 2026, the statutory consultation process and subsequent investigations undertaken during July and August 2026 identified additional Country Park, SSSI and stewardship considerations. As a result, the land associated with Langdon Hills Country Park was removed from further consideration and will remain in Council ownership.