Future of Belhus Park

THE FUTURE OF BELHUS PARK,
AVELEY

Developer Mountpark and its partners are bringing forward proposals for brand new sporting facilities at Belhus Park, Aveley.

Our public consultation closed on Friday 26th July, and we thank all of those who submitted their feedback on the proposals during this time.

The Belhus Park Vision

Over the last year, we have worked alongside several organisations including Impulse Leisure, Sport England, Essex Football Association, the Football Foundation, Historic England and Thurrock Council to explore the options that could be delivered at Belhus Park.

It has long been recognised that Belhus Park is the preferred location to provide a community space which can invest in Thurrock’s future sporting offer. At present, the golf driving range is unused and would require significant investment to be re-opened as currently it is unable to compete with modern nearby facilities.

We are now at a point where we can share our proposals, which will include the demolition of the driving range structures to provide state-of-the-art sports and community use, comprising:

Two top quality full size all-weather grass pitches capable of being used for multi sports
Accessible changing facilities for four teams with welfare provision and spectator areas
A new café to provide a food and beverage offering for players, spectators and members of the community
Biodiversity areas, running track with trim trails and an improved community health and wellbeing garden
New secure fencing, floodlighting and landscaping

What might this look like? Click on the hotspots to learn more...

Why do we want to do this?

The proposal site is made up of the existing driving range area located within Belhus Park, adjacent to the existing Leisure Centre. It is currently owned by Thurrock Council and leased to Impulse Leisure.

At present, the site is in a state of disrepair and underutilised. The current driving range was damaged by storms and would require significant investment to enable it to be used again. That is why as local landowners, along with developers Mountpark, want to breathe new live into the site by creating community-focused sporting facilities that aim to:

Elevating Thurrock's Game

Belhus Park aims to nurture local sporting talent and provide a high-quality playing environment in bringing forward two two full size all weather pitches. These premier pitches offer an unparalleled playing experience, designed to enhance both performance and enjoyment for for all levels and ages across various sporting activities.

Safe, Accessible Spaces For All

Future sports stars will have access to upgraded, accessible changing room facilities which can accommodate four teams. It will include toilets for the teams and visitors, as well as a spectator area. These modernised amenities will help create an inclusive and professional environment for all users.

Connecting the Community

Our proposals include plans for larger and more established community garden that builds on the existing planters at the site. These green spaces are designed to foster community spirit, promote environmental stewardship, and enhance the well-being of our visitors, cultivating a shared space where people can connect with nature and each other. This community feel will be enhanced through our new café, providing a food and drink offer for players, spectators and members of the community.

Investing in the Future of Sport

Thurrock Council’s latest Active Place Strategy, published in 2020, finds shortfalls in 3G sports pitch provision across the area. By investing in top-quality facilities, we can secure a sustainable future for Thurrock’s sport offerings, ensuring that Belhus Park meets the highest standards and support the needs of our diverse sporting community for years to come.

Sports Pavilion

A single-storey changing pavilion will be delivered as part of the proposals to help enhance the experiences for players, officials, coaches and supporters.

This would include:

Four team changing rooms including WCs
Two officials changing rooms
Accessible WCs
Additional toilets for spectators

The facilities will be compliant with the Football Foundation expectations. We are also taking inspiration from other sites locally to create a building that blends into the natural landscape, like the example images provided.

The Pavilion will also be home to a brand new café, providing a food and drink offering for players, spectators and members of the community.

Access and traffic

Due to the nature of the site as a training and sports facility, the site is not expected to result in a profound increase in traffic, and sensible traffic mitigation measures will be in place during the construction phase to ensure that construction traffic does not have an impact on the local road network.

The site has good provision for pedestrian and cyclists in the vicinity of the site, located a short walk away from Aveley and South Ockendon via footbridge which extends from Park Lane to Gatehope Drive. Footpath 140 is located west of Belhus Park and provides connections to Belhus Woods Country Park from Aveley. Footpath 230 is located further north and provides east/west connections between Romford Road to the M25 and South Ockendon through the Country Park.

The plans are being brought forward in line with those for the wider Belhus Park site, which aims to provide upgraded vehicular and cycle parking. More details on those plans are found below.

The wider framework

The proposals outlined above form the first phase of a wider Framework for Belhus Park. The revenue generated by this phase will assist in realising the future phases of the Framework. The Framework will continue to evolve, with the aim to create not just a Sports Hub but also significant additional community provision for Thurrock.

The Framework for the wider Belhus Park site includes:

Illustrative locations for possible future extension and redevelopment of the existing leisure centre to provide new changing facilities; new sports hall; and additional community use.
New accessible trim trail circular walking and cycling routes.
Removal of the redundant basketball courts and enhanced grass pitch provision to the south of Park Lane to create enhanced football pitch provision and a cricket pitch.
Removal of the pavilion south of Park Lane once new changing facilities are provided in a new leisure centre to improve the open nature and views through the historic park and garden.
Upgraded vehicular and cycle parking.
Integration of the golf club house with future leisure centre upgrades.
Significant landscape and biodiversity enhancements.

How does the site link to Arterial Hub?

The Phase 1 proposals are being progressed by Impulse Leisure alongside Mountpark and Arterial Hub LLP. Mountpark and Arterial Hub LLP are jointly promoting Arterial Hub, close to Belhus Park for future employment use. A planning application for the redevelopment of Arterial Hub was submitted in March 2024 (LPA ref. 24/00332/FUL) and is currently being considered by the Council. You can view the scheme that we consulted on here.

Arterial Hub’s former use was a private sports ground. When fully used, the site accommodated around six grass football pitches and a bowling green. The sports use of the site has incrementally reduced over time with sports use ceasing around 2015. In discussion with Sport England and Thurrock Council, we have been asked to concentrate on Belhus Park as a preferred location for enhanced sports provision and mitigation which will provide significant public benefit.

Following the submission of a full planning application for the Phase 1 proposals at Belhus Park, we expect the Arterial Hub and Belhus Park planning applications to progress in tandem and be determined alongside one another. The Arterial Hub employment development would be restricted from occupation until such time that the Phase 1 proposals are delivered and open for public use.

Get in touch

Our consultation has now closed, but you can still contact the project team or ask any questions about the plans by:

All feedback we received during the consultation is now being reviewed by the project team and will be summarised in a Statement of Community Involvement which will be submitted to Thurrock Council alongside the planning application.

About Us

We are a developer of logistics and industrial buildings in Europe for the world’s leading companies. Valuing long-standing relationships with our customers, we get to know just what they need to create spaces which enable them to operate to their full potential.

We develop some of Europe’s most effective logistics and industrial buildings for the world’s leading companies. Learning from long-standing relationships and staying up to date with the ever-changing needs of the market, we can create spaces designed to enable businesses to operate to their full potential.

THE FUTURE OF BELHUS PARK, AVELEY