Basildon plans for 27,000 homes to be put to residents again

At a Basildon Council meeting on Thursday evening, cabinet members voted to launch a consultation on the latest iteration of their draft local plan.

While councillors have pointed to the volume of evidence behind their housebuilding plans, campaigners say the number of new still vastly exceeds the “true local need”.

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Adele Brown is a Labour councillor for Housing and Infrastructure and served as chair of Thursday’s cabinet meeting.

She said: “This is the result of years and years of work.

“The body of evidence is from all our consultees and therefore it’s a very comprehensive piece of evidence that we’re moving forward to a final consultation.

“Ultimately, we need a local plan that is well planned, that provides the homes we’ve been asked to provide, that enables us to ensure we have those employment opportunities we need, while protecting as much of our green belt as possible.”

Consultation - Adele Brown said the plan is rooted in years of research (Image: Basildon Council)

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.

Basildon’s draft local plan has been developed over a period of multiple years, with the latest version amended to take into account national planning guidelines regarding green belt development.

The Billericay Action Group, which represents residents who fear the overdevelopment of the green belt surrounding their town, has said the plan’s accounts for a housing target well beyond actual need.

“For over 10 years the Billericay Action Group has contested that the Government mandated housing target is unjustified and is far higher than the true local need,” a spokesperson for the group said.

Fear - The Billericay Action Group has expressed concern for green belt sites around Billericay (Image: Google Maps)

“It is leading directly to the loss of the irreplaceable green belt and will put profound pressure on our already stretched services and infrastructure.

“We have always supported the need for more housing and a new local plan, but with the right number of houses.

“We urge all residents right across the borough to get involved in the consultation and tell Basildon council what they think.” 

The consultation is expected to be launched in the coming weeks and will include both online information and in-person events.