Failed business park plan cost £7.4m of public money

1:00pm Wednesday 13th August 2008

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ILL-FATED plans for a new business park in Basildon have cost taxpayers at least £7.4million, an Echo investigation can reveal.

Proposals for the industrial complex, off Gardiners Lane South, were scrapped earlier this year – after nearly seven years of costly groundwork by a Government agency and Basildon Council.

The Echo can reveal the cost of the abandoned scheme. We used the Freedom of Information Act to get details from the Government agency, English Partnerships .

The organisation admits ploughing £7.4million into the doomed project. Its partner, Basildon Council, however, was less forthcoming. It admits committing £5,000 to help draw up plans, but says it cannot supply details of other costs – including putting a price on many hours of officers’ time – as it would take too long to calculate.

The project started in 2001, after the abandonment in 1990 of similar proposals by the Commission For New Towns, English Partnerships’ predecessor.

When it was announced, it was promised the business park would make Basildon the business hub for the whole region.

A series of public consultations and exhibitions was launched, while English Partnerships tried to buy out 14 homeowners in Gardiners Lane South and Gardiners Close, where the park was to go. It also needed to relocate six local sports and social clubs.

Ultimately, the project was doomed when the agency failed to get about £40million to build a flyover to link the park to the A127.

For all this time, residents in the area fought to keep their homes. One of them, Pauline Missing, of Gardiners Close, was horrified to hear of the huge cost to the taxpayer.

She said: “You have to ask what have they actually achieved?

“We have had this hanging over us for 18 years, making our lives a misery and are still in the same position.

“In the meantime they have wasted more than £7million.”

The business park scheme may have failed, but Mrs Missing’s troubles continue.

English Partnerships and the council now want to use the area earmarked for the business park to build a giant housing estate .

English Partnerships says some of the money spent on the business park plan will make it easier to build at least 2,000 homes there.

Catherine Moran, the agency’s spokesman, said: “English Partn-erships and Basildon Council have been in discussion on how to make progress and it has now been agreed both parties should work together to bring forward a predominantly residential development in the area.”

Stephen Oakes, regional director of London and Thames Gateway, added: “We have invested a substantial amount of money to bring about the development of Gardin-ers Lane, in line with the local authority’s aspirations.

“Much of the work we commissioned and expenditure incurred will make a significant contribution towards delivering new proposals for Gardiners Lane.

“English Partnerships remains committed to the comprehensive development and regeneration of the site.”