Developer Progress Warehouses Limited has submitted fresh plans to Southend Council for a large warehouse in Progress Road, Eastwood.
The area has remained vacant since a fire in 2023 that destroyed a packaging business and car parts business.
At the time, the blaze was fought by firefighters for more than 36 hours and sparked an arson investigation.
Eastwood Park Lib Dem councillor, Paul Collins, has supported the plans and believes they will provide good job opportunities for the surrounding area.
Destroyed – Flames pouring out the window of the warehouse (Image: Essex Fire)
He said: “The owners cleared the wreckage quite quickly, the building was totally destroyed and taken away and now they are proposing a replacement.
“We have been in touch as there were fears it could be another car breaker yard but that is not what is being sought, it is a warehouse for that sole use and I am happy about that as I want employment.
“It is planned for an industrial area, so it is appropriate and it is also something more modern looking.”
Smouldering – The wreckage of the warehouses (Image: Essex Fire) Destroyed – The warehouses in 2023 (Image: Essex Fire)
The developer has said that the plans will be beneficial as they will “reinstate the lost employment on the site and contribute positively to the economy.”
She said: “The developers have allayed our fears, it will be simple and they won’t put in businesses similar to what was there when the fire happened again.
“It is a large building but if it offers employment it is good and the owners, who rented it out previously to other business, have made sure that this will be totally new.
“The businesses inside the warehouse were hit very badly by that fire.”
The fire required ten crews of firefights to extinguish with the use of two aerial ladder platforms and a drone team offering support.
On the fire, Mr Collins added: “We were lucky on that day as the wind was blowing away from the houses, it was quite scary and it took a weekend to extinguish.“It was during the summer time and there was an inferno in there.”