A major new distribution centre is to be built in Aveley bringing with it more than a thousand jobs.

Thurrock Council’s planning committee approved plans for the Segro Logistics Park on Purfleet Road in Aveley on Thursday night, making way for the construction of a warehouse and offices, 35 HGV and commercial vehicle “docking points”, and a multi-storey car park.

The development promises to create up to 1,500 new jobs in the area, with staff working across five shifts over 24 hours.

Members of the committee were divided over the approval, with several concerns raised about the potential for congestion on surrounding roads, the impact HGVs will have on the air quality, and that a previous application for the site had already been approved.

Councillor Angela Lawrence, of the Belhus ward said: “I’m thinking about the residents, it is them I am putting first. I know for each one of us here if it was one of us living down that road would we be saying yes or no? I know what my decision would be.

“I wouldn’t want 24-hour, double the amount of traffic, going past. It is not just the size of the building it’s the traffic movement and the environment."

An agent, speaking on behalf of applicant Segro, said the application had been expanded “to meet the requirements of a specific occupier”.

He said: “In September 2018, members will recall granting planning permission for a single warehouse building, reinforcing the suitability of the site for storage and distribution use.

“However, to meet the requirements of a specific occupier we need to make amendments to the planning application. This is for a new tenant rather than an expansion of the previous scheme.

“The application before you tonight delivers reduced levels of floor space to what has previously been permitted and by centrally locating the warehouse within the site, the outlook for nearby properties has been improved.”

He added that Segro has already undertaken several improvements to the highway and that has been fully assessed by Thurrock Council and the Highways team, both of which raised no objection.

He also indicated that a noise reduction fence could be installed as soon as possible to insulate residents from noise created by the construction phase.

Councillor Gerard Rice, of the Chadwell St Mary ward, said he believed the applicant has done enough for the committee to say yes and “the fact it is going to generate 1,500 jobs cannot be discounted”.

Meeting chair, Councillor Tom Kelly added: “It is always frustrating when we see these applications go through and then we see them again a few months down the line but I think in this case it fits well within the realms of acceptability in terms of what our officers think is acceptable."