Basildon Council approves plans for 250 new houses

At a Basildon Council Planning Committee meeting on Wednesday, councillors voted to approve the plans for Southend Road, Wickford, from developer Martin Grant Homes.

Although classified as grey belt by council officers, residents say the site is home to protected wildlife and unsuccessfully petitioned the committee to refuse permission.

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The homes, 50 per cent of which will be designated as affordable housing, are set to be built on an area approximately equivalent to the size of 23 football pitches.

Speaking at Wednesday evening’s Planning Committee meeting, Wickford resident Charlotte Gerchen said: “This isn’t just space on a map, it’s part of our daily lives, our wellbeing and our community.

“This land is a natural extension of Shotgate Thickett nature reserve, allowing species to feed, nest, travel and survive. If this land is built on, the wildlife corridor is broken.

“There is nowhere else like this left in Wickford.”

Plans - 250 new homes are set to be created on the site (Image: Martin Grant Homes)

Ms Gerchen added: “This land has been untouched for more than 40 years, and nature has reclaimed it.

“It’s not flat farmland, it's alive, and its dense shrubs, self-seeded trees and layered growth have created a thriving rewilded ecosystem now transitioning into woodland.

“Once it’s gone, it’s gone forever.”

The term grey belt, the label given to the Southend Road site,  is used to refer to low-quality land within the green belt that could be suitable for development.

However, despite the concerns raised by Ms Gerchen, and echoed by the committee’s Conservative and Reform UK councillors, proponents of the plan argued that the impact on the site would be limited.

Mike Baker, Labour councillor for Pitsea North West, said: “This location, in the context of some of the other developments that have gone through, is among the more favourable.

Homes - Access to the site will be via Southend Road (Image: Google Maps)

“It would add 250 homes to our housing supply, has access to a main road, is close to local shops and schools, and the impact on the green belt for a development of this scale is relatively limited.”

A spokesperson for Martin Grant Homes also spoke at the meeting and said the plans were the result of years of work with the council and stakeholders and provide “meaningful benefit” and “much-needed housing” while minimising harm.