IT is racing as usual at Thurrock’s Lakeside Karting Centre, with its owners insisting it will be in place for the foreseeable future.

In August more specific plans were unveiled to build a whole new town surrounding Lakeside Shopping Centre - while Arena Essex Raceway announced it is set to close permanently.

Lakeside Karting borders the two, and the plans appear to indicate the track will be replaced by homes.

But managing director, Giles Murray, insisted the track still has a ten-year lease on the site, and felt the need to speak out after being approached by concerned customers and staff.

After recent speculation about the award-winning go kart circuit, Mr Murray said: “Following the recent announcement that Arena Essex will be closing this year I want to make it clear that racing will continue at Lakeside Karting under our current lease agreement until 2027 at the very least. This site has a racing heritage that goes back over 40 years and we fully intend to keep that going well into the next decade.”

Confirmation of these intentions has recently been cemented by the acquisition of 65 new go-karts at a cost of £200,000-plus.

Mr Murray added: “I want to reassure our customers, young or old, new, past, present and future that they can enjoy the adrenaline-fuelled excitement of karting here at Lakeside for years to come. When we launched back in 2002 we wanted to bring the thrill of kart racing to Thurrock for everyone from 8 to 88. We continue with that vision and have recently expanded to include 3-7 year olds too”.

The latest project proposals, put forward by London Strategic Land, will see 2,500 homes and a new school built as Lakeside Shopping Centre becomes the town centre of a new town.

The homes are being proposed to the north of Lakeside, where currently stock car and speedway racing track Arena Essex resides.

The proposal, named Beyond Lakeside, has not yet been officially submitted as a planning application.

The plans include a community centre, new sports facilities, including an outdoor swimming complex.