850 homes planned for Dry Street wildlife haven (From Echo)

850 homes planned for Dry Street wildlife haven

8:00am Monday 13th February 2012 in News By Jon Austin

A WILDLIFE haven at Dry Street, Basildon, has been earmarked for 850 new homes.

The plan is part of Basildon Council’s housing blueprint which sets out where homes will be built over the next 20 years.

The council is consulting residents on three options for the number of houses to be built up to 2031, which is between 6,500 and 21,600.

The council has said it would prefer to support the lowest number, and will take residents’ views into account.

However, regardless of which option is pursued, a council report reveals Dry Street has been earmarked for at least 850 homes.

Campaigners fighting plans to develop the site are appalled by the number of houses.

Geoff Williams, Basildon Lib Dem group leader, who lives in Dry Street, is spearheading the campaign.

He said: “This is absolutely disgraceful and I am disgusted. They are being very premature.

“They have put in housing numbers with no planning application and without any consultation.

“I expected a maximum of 500 houses. They are not really doing any favours at all with these numbers.”

He said there were about 1,400 names on a petition against plans to build on the land.

He added: “We are waiting for the consultation to begin so we can get the petition in. We were promised full consultation, but if we are not even consulted on the number of homes, it doesn’t bode well for the future.”

In 2006 the Echo Save Dry Street campaign blocked plans from the Homes and Communities Agency’s predecessor, English Partnerships, for 1,200 homes on the land, which is a registered Essex County Council wildlife site.

It came after more than 10,000 people backed the campaign, including local Tory councillors.

The Conservatives are now backing the development of the site and the South Essex College site, in Nethermayne, as it will fund a new town centre college as part of the Basildon Town Centre masterplan.

They said they only agreed to the U-turn as it would be a much smaller development and the town would benefit from the new college.

The report says: “The strategy supports the release of the fields and the comprehensive master planning of the surrounding area, for the development of at least 850 new homes, improved roads around the hospital and hospice and supporting the relocation of the college into Basildon town centre.”

There could be a new school, community centre, health services and shops, according to the report.

However, council leader Tony Ball said some of the homes would be built at the new college site, next to Basildon railway station.

He added: “The 850 also includes the college site, so some of the housing would go there. Under the previous plans the whole 1,200 were in Dry Street.”