A new business park for Canvey will not encourage more jobs, but will leave another industrial unit as a "ghost town", it was claimed today.
Labour opposition leader at Castle Point Council, David Blackwell, believes the £6million cash injection from Thames Gateway for a new business park on land off Northwick Road, and regeneration plans, will be detrimental to the island.
He believes traffic congestion will be increased and valuable wildlife will be destroyed. He also says Canvey will become over-developed.
He said: "I would fight against an industrial park as it would cover the 50 acres of valuable wildlife habitat ever to be discovered in the last 100 years. I think there will be a big public outcry and there will be a battle for control of the land and the money will sit in the bank for a long time."
He added: "They are throwing money at an idea that won't make the slightest bit of difference.
"An increase in jobs is a red herring, all that will happen is everyone will relocate from Charfleets industrial unit and that will become a ghost town."
Thames Gateway says it is in the early stages of the plans. A spokesman said: "There is a lot of work around assisting the economy of Canvey. It is not just about plonking a business park there."
Published Friday, August 1, 2003
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