Two artist’s impressions (top and bottom: graphic or model and painting) of the proposed refinery, the trademark six-legged dog ENI logo and a map showing land allocation. The square UR Ltd. area is from 1965 suggesting the area further down is from the 1971-3 application.
Before Occidental looked to build a refinery on Canvey in the 1970s, United Refinineries Ltd. looked to build a refinery on Canvey where the West Canvey Marsh RSPB nature reserve is today. United Refineries Ltd. was a consortium of ENI Italian refining, and UK-based Murco who ironically had a petrol station much later until 2015. Fortunatley they did not begin building anything as far as I am aware. ENI aimed to build the refinery in 1964 and gained permission in 1965 but it did not come to fruition. It was expected to be completed by 1967, and why it was not constructed and the land was left unused I am uncertain, but pollution and vicinity to houses in case of emergency was a great pressure on the plans for the refinery. It would also appear United Refineries submitted an application to build around 1971-73 at the time of the refinery protests as Occidental were also taking an interest. Concrete remains and wires do lie in the area supposedly far west of the former Occidental land, within another area granted to United Refineries in 1971-3 north of Northwick Road south of Canvey Way, but it seems more realistic these were still left behind by Occidental.
Prying eyes look over the proposed undisturbed farmland in question via a photograph, and map showing possible radius of pollution or explosion. Also seen are maps marking proposed pipelines and a road not dissimilar to Canvey Way in terms of location on Canvey, but it leads to Benfleet
