PLANS for a new hospice and 50 houses on green belt land will go ahead after a minister ruled out the need for a public inquiry.

Thurrock Council approved the controversial plans for a six bed hospice and homes on green belt land at Malgraves Farm, off Lower Dunton Road, last month.

Concerns were raised over the remote location and the fact it is green belt, but councillors voted in favour of the application six to two, with one abstention.

The decision was being reviewed by Greg Clark, Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government weeks after his office ruled out the need for a public inquiry. It was then passed onto planning minister Marcus Jones to assess if it needed to be called in.

A spokesman from his office said: “After considering additional information and taking into account call-in policy, we have decided not to call in this planning application.”

Stephen Metcalfe, MP for Basildon and East Thurrock personally delivered concerns from his constituents over the plans to Mr Clarke.

He said: “There are concerns this will cause intrusion of green belt, that this is the thin end of the wedge. I want to make sure we are not setting ourselves up for the future erosion of the green belt.”

St Luke’s Hospice, which operates a hospice in Basildon, and the private developer Countryside, put forward the application for the “state of the art centre” to act as a twin hospice to the Nethermayne site.

The new hospice in Horndon-on- the-Hill will be delivered at no cost to St Luke’s and will be funded with the development by Countryside of 50 family homes.