What happened to our business park? (From Echo)

What happened to our business park?

3:18pm Thursday 7th February 2008

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THE death of a 17-year-old plan to create a business park, and 8,000 jobs, in Basildon has frustrated leading councillors.

Basildon Labour group leader Nigel Smith believes the district has missed a real opportunity to secure jobs for the town's future generations.

Councillors agreed to change proposals at the latest cabinet meeting for a huge project at Gardiners Lane South.

The on/off business park plan, first touted in 1991, has been replaced with plans for a housing estate with up to 4,000 homes.

The park's main stumbling block was the lack of cash to pay for a £45million bridge junction from the A127 to allow industrial traffic to enter the park.

Disappointed Mr Smith said: "There was a lot of enthusiasm for what was originally intended.

"There was a lot of time, money and consultation spent on elaborate plans.

"Out of the blue we have a five-page report proposing something different."

The council has to create 11,000 jobs by 2021, but the cabinet heard 8,800 had already been created - with 13 years to go.

So Steve Horgan, Tory councillor in charge of regeneration, said the need for new jobs was no longer a priority, whereas meeting Government house building targets of 10,700 by 2011 was.

But Mr Smith argued: "Thames Gateway sees Basildon as the business hub, not housing hub. We need to create high-quality jobs for the future. We have jobs now because of a strong economy, but firms have moved out in the past.

"Where will the children of today work in 2025?"

Mr Horgan said: "Whatever the merits of the original scheme, it is no longer financially viable. Simply wanting it to happen is not enough. We are not in Disney World.

"The Shell Haven port being built just seven miles away will directly bring 13,000 jobs, so I am confident we will be providing for our childen."

Residents have new fight on hands

FED-UP residents who have lived under the cloud of development since 1991 hope the changes mean they can stay put. Five families have refused to leave since business park plans emerged, despite buy-out offers from English Partnerships. Pauline Missing, 52, from Gardiners Close, said: "Before, we were fighting against a business park, but now it is housing. How can they argue for forcing us out of our homes to make way for more houses." Last September, Mrs Missing tried for planning permission to build three houses at the rear of her property. She said: "I hope to appeal. They say we need houses. Well, we could help provide some." Neighbour Cathy Blackwell said residents should club together, split all their land into plots and get their own permission for a housing scheme. Some councillors believe residents are in a better position now the project was for homes, rather than a business park. Council leader Malcolm Buckley warned English Partnerships was still likely to want to develop the whole site, rather than build around existing homes.

Call for resignation

THE BRAINS behind the business park proposals has called for heads to roll in the wake of the plan collapsing. Former Labour councillor Colin Payn was the mastermind behind the Gardiners Lane South plans before the Tory administration rubberstamped them after it took over Basildon Council in 2002. He said less focus on job creation and more on housing, should lead to Steve Horgan, councillor responsible for regeneration, resigning and the closure of Basildon Renaissance, the council's regeneration arm. He said: "Regeneration should provide quality of life and opportunity. "Providing land for developers to build houses and flats and then failing to provide jobs in the area, that is a design for commuterville, not a community." He said Mr Horgan and the partnership had failed to provide new jobs young people could aspire to. Mr Horgan said he appreciated Mr Payn's plan was well thought out in its day, but the sums no longer added up. "It has proven to not be economically viable. That is not my fault or the partnerships, and now we are coming up with a scheme that will be."

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