ESSEX County Council is set to fork out £60,000 for expert advice on the future use of a failed £800 million waste plant as councillors call for warehouses on the site to help create new jobs.

Tovi Eco Park, in Courtauld Road, Pitsea, was built to process black bag waste from across south Essex.

However the project was deemed a failure and the waste plant is being demolished. 

No plans have been agreed for the future of the site, next to the A127, and Essex County Council has now approved spending £60,000 on expert advice from consultants on what can be done. 

Stuart Terson, councillor for Pitsea North West, where the facility is located, said: “I 100 percent don’t want to see anything waste-related. We’ve had enough of that kind of thing in Pitsea.”

Mr Terson says he would prefer to see it replaced with something that provides job opportunities for residents.

He added: “It’s on an industrial estate, so it would make sense to have warehouses. We need jobs, especially for young people. 

“Anything that brings jobs would have my backing completely.”

Mr Terson is confident there is no issue with potential contamination of the land following its use as a waste plant. 

The waste plant was agreed in 2012 between Essex County Council and UBB Waste ltd, and an £800million contract agreed. 

However the plant never fully worked and sparked a court battle.

The facility was capable of processing up to 417,000 tonnes of waste a year, and the original contract would have seen the plant run for 28 years.

However, it never fully worked and plans were agreed in 2020 for it to be scrapped and then demolished at the owners’ cost.

Sam Gascoyne, also a councillor for Pitsea North West, says an industrial building “would make sense” but insists residents must be asked what they want.

He said: “Something like a builders merchants would allow residents better access to those kinds of materials. But I don’t want to push for things that are not in residents’ best interests, so my next step is to speak to them.”

Mr Gascoyne added: “I don’t know the going rate for advice. If Essex County Council is looking at a major redevelopment to bring in lots of jobs, like the ongoing Pitsea Diagnostic Centre development, £60,000 would seem acceptable to me.”

A spokesman for Essex County Council said: “The £60,000 will fund specialist strategic property advice to enable future options for the Courtauld Road site to be explored. This will help ensure value for money is secured for Essex taxpayers when the land is given back to Essex County Council.”