Planning consent for the Tilbury3 development has been granted by Thurrock Council, the local civic administration. That will allow Tilbury to progress a major brownfield expansion in the east of London. The project, led by owners Forth Ports, will create a 143-acre (about 58 hectares) multi-use port and logistics zone. It will regenerate the former Tilbury Power Station site, and extend port capacity alongside the existing Tilbury2 terminal.
Outline approval covers industrial storage, container operations, warehousing, cargo processing and vehicle handling. It will also facilitate bulk storage of aggregates and construction materials. The scheme forms part of the UK government’s designated Thames Freeport. Forth Ports says it is intended to strengthen Tilbury’s position as a multimodal gateway serving London and south-east England.
Multi-use scheme with rail and road links
The Tilbury3 site is designed as a flexible, rail-connected logistics area with access to the strategic road network. Future connectivity is expected to improve further through a road link to the planned Lower Thames Crossing northern tunnel junction, located adjacent to the development.
Forth Ports said the additional land would allow the port to respond to demand across bulk, Ro-Ro, automotive and container markets. The scheme will also support industrial processing and large-scale storage, complementing facilities at Tilbury2 and the nearby but separately managed London Distribution Park.
Stuart Wallace, chief executive of Forth Ports, said: “This approval marks an important milestone in our long-term investment strategy for the Port of Tilbury, recognising its strategic location serving London and the Southeast.” He added that the project would “expand capacity, meet the needs of our customers and create new market opportunities”.
Freeport incentives and phased delivery
As part of the Thames Freeport tax site, Tilbury3 will benefit from investment incentives intended to attract logistics and manufacturing activity. The port operator expects these measures to support job creation and long-term trade growth in the Thames corridor.
The development builds on plans first outlined in 2025, when Forth Ports submitted an application to redevelop the former power station site as a multi-use logistics hub. At that stage, construction was targeted to begin in 2026, with phased delivery and full operations expected by the end of the decade. David Webster, regional director for the Port of Tilbury, said the approval would provide “additional capacity, flexible land use and Freeport advantages” and enable the port to deliver “scalable, multi-modal solutions for our customers”.
Environmental measures and brownfield regeneration
Forth Ports said the Tilbury3 scheme would follow environmental approaches used at Tilbury2, including habitat creation and biodiversity management. Part of the 143-acre allocation is reserved for ecological mitigation, reflecting commitments made during the planning process.
The company has previously applied similar measures at other developments, combining industrial land use with managed habitats. Wallace said the project would “ensure we continue to protect and enhance the area’s natural environment” while supporting port expansion.
Tilbury remains the largest of Forth Ports’ UK operations, handling a broad mix of bulk, container and automotive cargo. The Tilbury3 approval provides a further land reserve intended to accommodate growth as trade volumes and logistics requirements evolve.