New name for Thurrock town

Proposals to formally rename Purfleet as Purfleet-on-Thames have been approved.

Thurrock Council unanimously agreed to re-name the town at Full Council on Wednesday 29 January 2020 following a public consultation.

The name change follows a petition being presented to Full Council in January 2019 that included 611 signatures from Purfleet residents organised by Purfleet-on-Thames Community Forum.

The online consultation ran for 12 weeks last year, engaging with residents, businesses, and community groups. In total 84 per cent of respondents were in favour of the name change to Purfleet-on-Thames. 

Many responses referenced the town being called Purfleet-on-Thames well over a hundred years ago with the earliest mention in 1866. Others commented on plans to regenerate the area providing a perfect opportunity to bring back the name. 

The name change follows planning permission for the first 61 homes in Purfleet that will kick-start the £1 billion planned regeneration of the town centre that will see PCRL, with Thurrock Council, create a vibrant centre with shops, community amenities including a new health centre, improved railway station and transport facilities, housing and job opportunities.

Cllr Rob Gledhill, Leader of Thurrock Council, said:

“I would like to thank the Purfleet-on-Thames Community Forum for organising the petition and campaigning for the name change. John Rowles, Trevor Batchelor and their colleagues should be proud of what they have achieved. This is another landmark decision for the town and its exciting future.

“We are committed to engaging with our residents and this includes listening to their views on the matters that are important to them in their local area.”

Thurrock Council will now notify the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, the Director General of the Ordnance Survey and the Registrar General.