A NEW mini-village could be created off the A127 in Benfleet to help meet housing needs.

Investigations are under way into whether a new housing estate could be built on land between the A127 and A130, behind the Blinking Owl cafe.

The site, which is formed of both green belt and previously developed land, could possibly take up to 1,200 new homes and help meet Castle Point Council’s housing need.

Echo:

Tory councillors in Castle Point have asked officers to find out whether local infrastructure could cope with what is being called the “Fane Road development”.

This includes investigating whether a new bypass could be created off the roundabout at the junction of the A130 and A1245 on to the development to act as the main access road to the estate.

It would also involve negotiating with up to 70 different land owners who own various plots on the site.

A source close to the council said: “The land off the A127 and A130 is what we are looking at.

“It is an enormous piece of land and could accommodate about 1,200 homes, I would think.

“The problem with this area is that it is in a lot of different people’s ownership, so it will be difficult getting them all together to agree. But I think we have to take a proactive role in this.

“We will look at whether the road network could cope and whether we could realistically create a new road from the A130, because that will be one of the mostly costly aspects.

But until we ask the questions we cannot know the answers.”

The Fane Road development could form part of the borough’s Local Plan, which sets out where housing developments could be built over the next 15 years.

Tory councillors, Jeffrey Stanley, who is deputy leader of the council, Norman Smith, Bill Dick, Bill Sharp, Andrew Sheldon, Simon Hart and Jackie Govier are analysing sites for inclusion in the plan, which has failed to be finished on two previous occasions.

The source added: “We are looking at Fane Road as a potential long-term development which could be completed in the next 10 to 20 years, which is when our local plan has to run up to.

“The problem is, we have been put in a position where we have to present something which will be acceptable to the inspector, otherwise all green belt will be under threat and that is a big problem.

“We can’t keep saying ‘no’ to all green belt, because there are lots of different types.

“By developing this site, which has already seen some development, we could protect the more beautiful, virgin green belt sites everyone feels so passionately about.

“We hope to have a viable plan to put before the administration before Christmas.”