Basildon local plan set for new consultation phase

The development of Basildon Council’s draft local plan has been taking place throughout the last year, with residents asked to offer their views on possible locations for the thousands of proposed homes.

Ahead of a cabinet meeting next week, councillors have been recommended to launch a new consultation which reflects recent changes to Government planning policy.

Announced in December, the National Planning Policy Framework has given councils new guidelines when it comes to deciding where homes are built.

Among the changes are the introduction of the grey belt label to describe less important green belt sites and “golden rules” which allow green belt sites to be built when the benefits of the development significantly outweigh potential harm.

In documents submitted ahead of next week’s cabinet meeting, Basildon Council planning officers state: “The draft local plan has been revised to reflect changes to national policy, previous consultation responses and the developing local plan evidence base.

“Having an up-to-date local plan in place will bring a number of significant benefits for the borough, including, most notably, the introduction of a strengthened policy framework to improve design quality, as well as meeting housing, employment and infrastructure needs in a sustainable way.

“The council will continue to engage constructively, actively and on an ongoing basis with neighbouring authorities and statutory bodies.”

The 27,111-home draft plan includes 16,928 homes on green belt, with opposition councillors and campaigners raising concerns about the impact on infrastructure, traffic and the borough’s green belt.

If the Cabinet approves the launch of the “Regulation 19” consultation, residents will once again be asked for their views on the proposals.

The Billericay Action Group represents a collection of residents who fear the overdevelopment of the green belt surrounding their town.

While the group said it is too early to get a full sense of the latest updates to the plan, a spokesperson stated: “We encourage every resident to get involved as it will define the borough, and their lives, for the next 20 years.”