Bosses of a national mental health charity are on course to set up their first Castle Point headquarters in offices on Canvey.

The National Schizophrenia Fellowship wants to convert ground floor offices in Denham Road into a drop-in centre.

The new centre will include a kitchen, reception, toilet and activities room for referred members and could be up and running early in the new year if planning permission is granted. Council planners have received some letters of concern from local residents about the plans but have recommended the scheme be approved.

It will be the first time the group has had a permanent base in the borough and, if given the go-ahead, will mean a much better service and support for people with mental illness in Castle Point.

Jackie Bright, services manager at the fellowship's Queens Road drop in centre in Southend, said: "The important thing to remember is that this will be a centre where members are ordinary people who just happened to suffer from mental illness.

"Anybody is welcome to come to see us in Queens Road if they have concerns. It may well be they see someone there they know because this sort of thing can affect people from any walk of life.

"We understand some people may have concerns but we have never had any problems and people are welcome to visit us. We want a permanent venue where members can have a sense of ownership rather than having people drive to places with heaps of stuff in the back of cars."

The Queens Road centre has been open for several years and caters for up to 200 members in the town.

Mrs Bright said the Castle Point centre was unlike to serve a similar size membership. The plans for developing Denham House will go before Castle Point Council's planning committee. The recommendation from planners is to allow 8am to 9pm opening Monday to Saturday and 10am to 5pm on Sundays.

A report by planners said: "There is no evidence to suggest the use will produce any risk to the public from its activities."

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.