Location and place
Thurrock is located on the north bank of the River Thames immediately to the east of London. It has excellent transport links with London, the rest of the UK and Europe by road – via the M25 and A13 corridors – rail, river and air.
| Geography | Extent |
|---|---|
| Area | 165 square kilometres |
| Riverfront | 18 miles |
| Green Belt land | 70% |
Growth
There are 6 major growth hubs in the borough:
- London Gateway, the world's most modern port, alongside Thames Enterprise Park, the UK's largest logistics park
- major improvement schemes in Grays, Tilbury and Lakeside
- a transformation of Purfleet-on-Thames that will build upon the success of the internationally-acclaimed cultural and creative industries centre at High House Production Park
Homes and houses
According to the Valuation Office, there were 69,535 dwellings in Thurrock as at April 2022.
Thurrock has a stock of 10,000 council houses, including 1,200 sheltered and extra care homes.
House price information below is from the Land Registry UK House Price Index. Other information comes from the national census of 2011.
| Housing status | Thurrock | East region | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| Owner-occupier | 66.2% | 67.6% | 63.4% |
| Rented from the council or housing association | 18.4% | 15.7% | 17.7% |
| Rented privately | 14.1% | 14.8% | 16.8% |
| Average house prices, all types, as at January 2022 | £308,030 | £336,937 | £288,130 |
Heritage
Thurrock is steeped in history. It has 2 historic forts:
- Tilbury Fort, where Queen Elizabeth I gave her famous "heart of a king" speech whilst amassing the fleet to face the Spanish Armada in 1588
- Coalhouse Fort, which was completed in 1874
Thurrock was also the venue for the Empire Windrush's momentous disembarkation at Tilbury, plus many more stories from history that you can learn about at Thurrock Museum.