A MUCH-LOVED Canvey shop has been knocked down.

A bulldozer demolished Cherry Stores on Knightswick Road after it is believed the land was bought by the owners of the Oysterfleet, earlier this year.

Joanne Anderson’s parents Jenny and Harry Anderson ran Cherry Stores for 27 years until 2010.

Joanne, 40, of Tilburg Road, said: “It was really sad. I couldn’t bring myself to see it. It’s the end of an era, a piece of Canvey’s history has gone. It was a landmark.

“It was a big part of my life. I grew up there, but last year when dad died, my brother and I had to sell it.

“Mum always wanted to be the last person in there and it turns out she was.”

Helen Grigson’s parent Bet and Ted Cherry took over the stores in the late 1970s and gave the shop its name.

The store has been closed for the past four and a half years and was in need of major repairs to bring its pipes, electric, gas, floors and ceilings up to scratch.

Mrs Grigson, 62, of Knightswick Road, said: “I was gutted to see it go. I knew it was going to be done, but when I went past it on my way home from work and I saw it had been bulldozed I shed a tear.

“Mum and dad had it for five or six years. They bought it from a Mr Neil when he was moving to Manchester and he sold it on the condition they would help him move. My mum was quite shocked.

“She always wanted a shop and finally got her wish. I want to go and take a piece of the brickwork as a memory.”

Castle Point Council’s planning department said it had not received any requests for permission to knock it down.

A spokesman said: “Where demolition of any kind of building is proposed, the council may wish to agree the details of how it is intended to carry out the demolition and how the site will be restored afterwards.

“A person intending to demolish a building will need to apply for a formal decision on whether the council wishes to approve these details before the start of demolition. No such application has been received in respect of this site.

“There are currently no applications submitted in respect of the redevelopment of the site.”

The Oysterfleet would not comment.