The current situation regarding the emerging Basildon Local Plan can be found here
OCTOBER 2024 UPDATE
There has been a delay and the first sight of the draft new Local Plan is now expected in November.
SEPTEMBER 2024 UPDATE
vOur understanding is that Basildon council plans to publish the first draft Local Plan in November, assuming that it receives Cabinet & Full Council approval in October. We should get first sight of it in October.
There will then be a public consultation running through November and December.
The situation is confused by the fact that the new Government has recently launched a consultation on proposed reforms of the planning system that will have a material effect on the new Local Plan, should those reforms become legislation. However, that is unlikely to happen before the draft Local Plan is published,
The reforms will result in higher housing numbers and have an effect on how land is allocated to make the housing target.
Our current expectation is that the council will plan for the higher number which mean more land will have to be allocated. That is likely to be a figure in excess of 27,000 over 20 years (2023 to 2043) with over 16,000 requiring the Green Belt to be released.
To put 27.000 new dwellings into context, it is more that the current number in Billericay & Wickford combined - a very scary thought and considerably more than the true local need.
Please keep an eye on our Facebook group for the very latest news.
There will then be a public consultation running through November and December.
The situation is confused by the fact that the new Government has recently launched a consultation on proposed reforms of the planning system that will have a material effect on the new Local Plan, should those reforms become legislation. However, that is unlikely to happen before the draft Local Plan is published,
The reforms will result in higher housing numbers and have an effect on how land is allocated to make the housing target.
Our current expectation is that the council will plan for the higher number which mean more land will have to be allocated. That is likely to be a figure in excess of 27,000 over 20 years (2023 to 2043) with over 16,000 requiring the Green Belt to be released.
To put 27.000 new dwellings into context, it is more that the current number in Billericay & Wickford combined - a very scary thought and considerably more than the true local need.
Please keep an eye on our Facebook group for the very latest news.
MAY 2024 UPDATE
As a result of the May ward elections the administration of Basildon council has changed from Conservative to a Labour led coalition/alliance with Independents.
We expect that the new administration will stay with the revised timetable as per our March update below, however, at this stage we have no idea of what their strategy will be for the Local Plan.
It could be several months before we see any details.
We expect that the new administration will stay with the revised timetable as per our March update below, however, at this stage we have no idea of what their strategy will be for the Local Plan.
It could be several months before we see any details.
MARCH 2024 UPDATE
Clearly the Government's letter (see February update below) had some effect! In early March 2024 Basildon council amended the timetable for the new Local Plan, something called the Local Delivery Scheme (LDS).
They have taken a year our of previous plans and aim to submit a Local Plan to the Government for inspection by mid-2025 and have the plan examined and adopted by mid-2026. Previously it was by the end of 2027.
What this means to us is that there will be a very busy and concentrated period from late this year through until early next year when there will be the Regulation 18 public consultation and then the final Regulation 19 consultation.
The Regulation 18 consultation will no doubt be our first and only chance to try to get any changes to the Local Plan. More on that nearer the time.
Of course this could all be kidology to keep the Government happy, but for now we need to take it seriously and be ready to act.
The revised LDS is as follows.
They have taken a year our of previous plans and aim to submit a Local Plan to the Government for inspection by mid-2025 and have the plan examined and adopted by mid-2026. Previously it was by the end of 2027.
What this means to us is that there will be a very busy and concentrated period from late this year through until early next year when there will be the Regulation 18 public consultation and then the final Regulation 19 consultation.
The Regulation 18 consultation will no doubt be our first and only chance to try to get any changes to the Local Plan. More on that nearer the time.
Of course this could all be kidology to keep the Government happy, but for now we need to take it seriously and be ready to act.
The revised LDS is as follows.
FEBRUARY 2024 UPDATE
Just before last Christmas the Government wrote to Basildon council in effect asking them to look at bringing forward the submission of the new Local Plan from mid-2026 to mid-2025. The council responded to the Government stating that they plan to stay with their original date but we understand that work on this continues between the council and the Panning Advisory Service so things could still change.
We therefore need to be ready for matters to possibly accelerate but as its stands the current timetable suggests that we will see a draft plan by the end of this year. with a further public consultation.
The report on the I&O Consultation (see below) goes to the Cabinet for approval 14 March. We will provide an update as soon as the final version is published
We therefore need to be ready for matters to possibly accelerate but as its stands the current timetable suggests that we will see a draft plan by the end of this year. with a further public consultation.
The report on the I&O Consultation (see below) goes to the Cabinet for approval 14 March. We will provide an update as soon as the final version is published
NOVEMBER 2023 UPDATE
The Issues & Options public consultation for the new Basildon Local Plan ended in September and we await the results that are expected early in 2024. We understand that over 700 people took part, submitting around 2,500 comments.
You can read the comments on each of the subject areas here - basildonlocalplan.commonplace.is/
It is unlikely that we will hear much more about the Local Plan this year and will of course provide updates in the new year as soon as we have new information.
You can read the comments on each of the subject areas here - basildonlocalplan.commonplace.is/
It is unlikely that we will hear much more about the Local Plan this year and will of course provide updates in the new year as soon as we have new information.
JUNE 2023 UPDATE
As expected, Basildon council has launched a public Issues & Options consultation on the new Local Plan. It stared 27 June and runs for 10 weeks until 5 September 2023.
Further details can be found from the home page on this website or by clicking HERE.
Further details can be found from the home page on this website or by clicking HERE.
MAY 2023 UPDATE
The latest situation is that the next Local Plan will be developed over the next 4 years with the aim to adopt in 2027 to cover the 15 year period until 2042.
The current timetable is set out below.
At this point no details of the content of Local Plan are in the public domain. We may not see details until the first draft plan in 2024.
The next stage will be an Issues & Options public consultation expected to take place in June this year and run for 8 weeks.
As soon as we see details of the consultation we will provide further information on our Facebook group - Save Billericay From Housing Developments - and on here.
The current timetable is set out below.
At this point no details of the content of Local Plan are in the public domain. We may not see details until the first draft plan in 2024.
The next stage will be an Issues & Options public consultation expected to take place in June this year and run for 8 weeks.
As soon as we see details of the consultation we will provide further information on our Facebook group - Save Billericay From Housing Developments - and on here.
SEPTEMBER 2022 UPDATE
We now know that the council plans to go back to square one with the next iteration of the Basildon Local Plan.
They plan to hold another call for sites to allow landowners to put forward their land for potential development. They last did this in 2007/8 ahead of preparing the now withdrawn version of the Local Plan.
They have also published a new Local Development Scheme which sets out the timetable for the creation of a new plan through to its final adoption, which is scheduled for 2027, some 5 years from now.
The first stage will be a public Issues & Options consultation which will inform the next plan. Work on the detail of that plan will not start until the public has had their say. This is important and something we have not seen before. It is imperative that residents take part. We will provide more on this in due course here and on our Facebook page.
It will not be until 2025 that we will have sight of a draft Local Plan. That is likely the first time that we will see the housing numbers and the proposed sites. Further public consultations will come at that point.
The full timetable is as follows. Its shows calendar quarters.
They plan to hold another call for sites to allow landowners to put forward their land for potential development. They last did this in 2007/8 ahead of preparing the now withdrawn version of the Local Plan.
They have also published a new Local Development Scheme which sets out the timetable for the creation of a new plan through to its final adoption, which is scheduled for 2027, some 5 years from now.
The first stage will be a public Issues & Options consultation which will inform the next plan. Work on the detail of that plan will not start until the public has had their say. This is important and something we have not seen before. It is imperative that residents take part. We will provide more on this in due course here and on our Facebook page.
It will not be until 2025 that we will have sight of a draft Local Plan. That is likely the first time that we will see the housing numbers and the proposed sites. Further public consultations will come at that point.
The full timetable is as follows. Its shows calendar quarters.
MAY 2022 UPDATE
Nothing much happened regarding the Basildon Local Plan between our last update in August 2021 and the November of that year. Then a lot happened very quickly!
In November & December 2021 and January 2022 the council proposed a number of significant modifications to the Local Plan that would lead to yet another public consultation. Those modifications were summarily approved by the associated committee councillors with hardly any question.
The most significant modification was to the number of houses allocated in the Local Plan taking the total from around 15,000 to over 20,000, with the additional 5,000 largely coming from the Basildon town centre regeneration that was not included in the submitted Local plan initially. The split of the 20,000 was shown as 11,000 on brownfield sites but the remaining 9,000 would require the Green Belt to be lost.
But there were a number of more subtle but equally damaging modifications including the loss of the promised extension to the Mill Meadows nature reserve and giving more opportunity for the 4 sites in south west Billericay to be developed separately with the potential for key infrastructure to be missed completely ,or to come way after the houses were built. This included the now infamous relief road which would require several houses on Frithwood Lane to lose part of their front gardens and one house to be compulsory purchased.
All of this was due to be nodded through by the full council in late January. Then the administration through a big curved ball. They were proposing to withdraw the Local Plan completely!
Whether this was due to our constant campaigning for it to be withdrawn, a public demonstration on Frithwood Lane in January this year, or a worry about losing seats in the May elections, we may never know. But we’d like to think that we had some influence on this decision.
There then followed some procedural shenanigans within the council but in March 2022 the Local Plan was formally withdrawn with a promise that a new iteration would better involve residents, and aim to alleviate both the rural Green Belt areas as well as the urban brownfield from excessive development.
In May the Conservatives retained overall control of the council at the local elections and reintroduced a Leader and Cabinet form of governance. The Local Plan wound be the responsibility of a Cabinet member, Cllr Moore, who was responsible for the now withdrawn plan. What will he do different now?
We now await more details of what happens next. We have offered our help and support to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Baggott, and are preparing ourselves for yet another chapter in the very long running saga of the Basildon Local Plan.
8 years down, how many more to go?!
(PS, it was the proposed new Local Plan that was withdrawn. The existing Local Plan is still in place and will continued to be used by the council to inform planning matters until such time as a new iteration of plan is adopted.)
In November & December 2021 and January 2022 the council proposed a number of significant modifications to the Local Plan that would lead to yet another public consultation. Those modifications were summarily approved by the associated committee councillors with hardly any question.
The most significant modification was to the number of houses allocated in the Local Plan taking the total from around 15,000 to over 20,000, with the additional 5,000 largely coming from the Basildon town centre regeneration that was not included in the submitted Local plan initially. The split of the 20,000 was shown as 11,000 on brownfield sites but the remaining 9,000 would require the Green Belt to be lost.
But there were a number of more subtle but equally damaging modifications including the loss of the promised extension to the Mill Meadows nature reserve and giving more opportunity for the 4 sites in south west Billericay to be developed separately with the potential for key infrastructure to be missed completely ,or to come way after the houses were built. This included the now infamous relief road which would require several houses on Frithwood Lane to lose part of their front gardens and one house to be compulsory purchased.
All of this was due to be nodded through by the full council in late January. Then the administration through a big curved ball. They were proposing to withdraw the Local Plan completely!
Whether this was due to our constant campaigning for it to be withdrawn, a public demonstration on Frithwood Lane in January this year, or a worry about losing seats in the May elections, we may never know. But we’d like to think that we had some influence on this decision.
There then followed some procedural shenanigans within the council but in March 2022 the Local Plan was formally withdrawn with a promise that a new iteration would better involve residents, and aim to alleviate both the rural Green Belt areas as well as the urban brownfield from excessive development.
In May the Conservatives retained overall control of the council at the local elections and reintroduced a Leader and Cabinet form of governance. The Local Plan wound be the responsibility of a Cabinet member, Cllr Moore, who was responsible for the now withdrawn plan. What will he do different now?
We now await more details of what happens next. We have offered our help and support to the Leader of the Council, Cllr Baggott, and are preparing ourselves for yet another chapter in the very long running saga of the Basildon Local Plan.
8 years down, how many more to go?!
(PS, it was the proposed new Local Plan that was withdrawn. The existing Local Plan is still in place and will continued to be used by the council to inform planning matters until such time as a new iteration of plan is adopted.)
AUGUST 2021 UPDATE
In December 2020 the Planning Inspector finally broke cover and sent his first preliminary queries to Basildon Council, who responded accordingly in January 2021. It was therefore 19 months from the time the Local Plan was submitted to the Inspector before we had his first views.
The Inspector wrote to the Council again in March 2021 (although this did not come to light until nearly 3 months later as it somehow got lost during the May elections and change of administration!). The Inspector has asked Basildon Council to hold another public consultation to consider the the additions and new evidence that the Council has tried to include in the plan since it was submitted in March 2019.
The Inspector clearly considered those matters to be substantive enough to need a new consultation and we support this. Whilst those matters do not directly relate to Billericay, they do have an impact on the wider borough and therefore the public should have a right to comment. That said, we are aware of one piece of new, but yet unpublished, evidence relating to the route of the relief road proposed for Billericay, although it was not clear if that would be included in the new consultation.
We have therefore written to the Planning Inspector to ensure that is the case. In fact we have asked him to consider the full plan for south west Billericay being included in the new consultation as we contest that Billericay residents were not properly consulted back in 2017/18. We await his response.
We have also written to the Leader of the Council to suggest some changes to the Local Plan as per the June blog post on the home page. We haven't had a conclusive response from him yet.
So, as of August 2021, we are in another state of limbo. The new consultation is unlikely to take place until very late this year. The examination in public of the Local Plan is therefore not going to be until next year. It could be another year before we know the face of the Local Plan. Until then the land being proposed for development in the Local Plan around Billericay remains Green Belt and cannot be developed. Small comfort but at least the fight goes on. It's not over yet!
The Inspector wrote to the Council again in March 2021 (although this did not come to light until nearly 3 months later as it somehow got lost during the May elections and change of administration!). The Inspector has asked Basildon Council to hold another public consultation to consider the the additions and new evidence that the Council has tried to include in the plan since it was submitted in March 2019.
The Inspector clearly considered those matters to be substantive enough to need a new consultation and we support this. Whilst those matters do not directly relate to Billericay, they do have an impact on the wider borough and therefore the public should have a right to comment. That said, we are aware of one piece of new, but yet unpublished, evidence relating to the route of the relief road proposed for Billericay, although it was not clear if that would be included in the new consultation.
We have therefore written to the Planning Inspector to ensure that is the case. In fact we have asked him to consider the full plan for south west Billericay being included in the new consultation as we contest that Billericay residents were not properly consulted back in 2017/18. We await his response.
We have also written to the Leader of the Council to suggest some changes to the Local Plan as per the June blog post on the home page. We haven't had a conclusive response from him yet.
So, as of August 2021, we are in another state of limbo. The new consultation is unlikely to take place until very late this year. The examination in public of the Local Plan is therefore not going to be until next year. It could be another year before we know the face of the Local Plan. Until then the land being proposed for development in the Local Plan around Billericay remains Green Belt and cannot be developed. Small comfort but at least the fight goes on. It's not over yet!
OCTOBER 2020 UPDATE
It is now over 18 months since Basildon Council approved and submitted a Local Plan for inspection, which is the next stage of the defined process.
You may recall at the time (2018 and early 2019), from councillors of all political persuasions and ‘independent‘ standing, as well as Council officers, that they had to submit a plan or there would be Government intervention with potentially an even worse outcome. In some ways acknowledging that they were submitting a bad plan. Something that we continue to believe is the case.
But what a load of misguided rubbish that has turned out to be!
If the Government, or more specifically the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, was that worried about Basildon not having a current Local Plan and continually failing to deliver enough houses, why has that Ministry’s own Planning Inspectors not examined the submitted plan before now? Basildon Council have repeatedly made it clear that they can't meet housing targets until that new Local Plan is in place. You would have thought the examination would have been fast tracked under those circumstances.
That said, we accept that there were some early delays due to A127 air quality concerns, and that COVID-19 has had some bearing on process, but we are aware of other Local Plans being examined that were submitted after Basildon's, such as Brentwood's, and during the current pandemic. So there are few clear excuses for the delay.
Even the Council is frustrated by the delays, and wrote to the Inspector many months ago asking for him to proceed. They are now working to the assumption that it may not happen until next year and have updated their schedules accordingly. If that is the case, a new Local Plan may not be adopted and in place until 2022, some 8 years after it was supposed to be done. There is good and bad in this.
To complicate matters further, the Government is now (as of August 2020) proposing significant, if ill considered, changes to the planning system and how Local Plans are constructed. If these reforms are approved, does the Basildon Local Plan need to be completely reworked? Will the housing numbers go up or down? Will housing affordability get addressed? Will the Green Belt remain protected? Our view is that if any part of the submitted Local Plan has to be materially changed then it should be taken through a new and full public consultation. It is something we will be pushing for.
As you can see, frustratingly there are more questions than answers just now, but all the while the future of over 150 hectares of Green Belt around Billericay remains under the threat of loss to nearly 3,000 new houses. Our community is already blighted by that threat and further delay just drags out the pain.
You may recall at the time (2018 and early 2019), from councillors of all political persuasions and ‘independent‘ standing, as well as Council officers, that they had to submit a plan or there would be Government intervention with potentially an even worse outcome. In some ways acknowledging that they were submitting a bad plan. Something that we continue to believe is the case.
But what a load of misguided rubbish that has turned out to be!
If the Government, or more specifically the Ministry of Housing, Communities & Local Government, was that worried about Basildon not having a current Local Plan and continually failing to deliver enough houses, why has that Ministry’s own Planning Inspectors not examined the submitted plan before now? Basildon Council have repeatedly made it clear that they can't meet housing targets until that new Local Plan is in place. You would have thought the examination would have been fast tracked under those circumstances.
That said, we accept that there were some early delays due to A127 air quality concerns, and that COVID-19 has had some bearing on process, but we are aware of other Local Plans being examined that were submitted after Basildon's, such as Brentwood's, and during the current pandemic. So there are few clear excuses for the delay.
Even the Council is frustrated by the delays, and wrote to the Inspector many months ago asking for him to proceed. They are now working to the assumption that it may not happen until next year and have updated their schedules accordingly. If that is the case, a new Local Plan may not be adopted and in place until 2022, some 8 years after it was supposed to be done. There is good and bad in this.
To complicate matters further, the Government is now (as of August 2020) proposing significant, if ill considered, changes to the planning system and how Local Plans are constructed. If these reforms are approved, does the Basildon Local Plan need to be completely reworked? Will the housing numbers go up or down? Will housing affordability get addressed? Will the Green Belt remain protected? Our view is that if any part of the submitted Local Plan has to be materially changed then it should be taken through a new and full public consultation. It is something we will be pushing for.
As you can see, frustratingly there are more questions than answers just now, but all the while the future of over 150 hectares of Green Belt around Billericay remains under the threat of loss to nearly 3,000 new houses. Our community is already blighted by that threat and further delay just drags out the pain.
JANUARY 2020 UPDATE
Following the Council's approval of the emerging Local Plan in October 2018 as reported below, Basildon Council submitted the draft plan to the Planning Inspectorate (as per the statutory process) early in 2019.
We then expected the Examination in Public to take place so that the Planning Inspector could consider whether the Local Plan prepared by Basildon Council was sound. As of today, that examination has not been scheduled, although an Inspector and team have been assigned. Current thinking is that the Public Examination may not take place until mid-2020 at the earliest.
In some ways this is good but conversely the delay is just adding to the ongoing uncertainty as to what the future holds for Billericay.
That said, we continue to believe that the draft Local Plan is unsound and that there is scant justification for such large scale development in Billericay, all to the detriment of our green spaces and with very little guaranteed supporting infrastructure. We will therefore be fighting against the Local Plan at the Examination in Public and are preparing our own team of specialists to help us to that aim.
For now it is important to remember that this is far from a 'done deal'. None of the sites proposed in the Local Plan can be developed until after the examination and the Council finally adopts the new plan. This could still be 2 years away, or even longer if the Inspector finds the plan unsound and Basildon has to think again. This has happened recently elsewhere in Essex so Council's do not always get it right!
We will provide further updates in due course.
We then expected the Examination in Public to take place so that the Planning Inspector could consider whether the Local Plan prepared by Basildon Council was sound. As of today, that examination has not been scheduled, although an Inspector and team have been assigned. Current thinking is that the Public Examination may not take place until mid-2020 at the earliest.
In some ways this is good but conversely the delay is just adding to the ongoing uncertainty as to what the future holds for Billericay.
That said, we continue to believe that the draft Local Plan is unsound and that there is scant justification for such large scale development in Billericay, all to the detriment of our green spaces and with very little guaranteed supporting infrastructure. We will therefore be fighting against the Local Plan at the Examination in Public and are preparing our own team of specialists to help us to that aim.
For now it is important to remember that this is far from a 'done deal'. None of the sites proposed in the Local Plan can be developed until after the examination and the Council finally adopts the new plan. This could still be 2 years away, or even longer if the Inspector finds the plan unsound and Basildon has to think again. This has happened recently elsewhere in Essex so Council's do not always get it right!
We will provide further updates in due course.
OCTOBER 2018 UPDATE
On Thursday 18 October 2018, Basildon Council voted to approve a new version of the Local Plan. This replaced the version that was approved under the previous coalition administration back in March 2018.
From Billericay's perspective the changes over the previous plan are (1) the removal of 300 houses from the Tye Common Road area that were previously associated with the route of a new road through Frith Wood and (2) the removal of 15 Traveller pitches. The road is now destined to run along Frithwood Lane and there are no plans for any Traveller sites in Billericay.
Whilst we applaud these changes they are very modest in the wider scheme of things and Billericay is still being asked to accommodate 2,800 houses. These are now distributed as follows.
From Billericay's perspective the changes over the previous plan are (1) the removal of 300 houses from the Tye Common Road area that were previously associated with the route of a new road through Frith Wood and (2) the removal of 15 Traveller pitches. The road is now destined to run along Frithwood Lane and there are no plans for any Traveller sites in Billericay.
Whilst we applaud these changes they are very modest in the wider scheme of things and Billericay is still being asked to accommodate 2,800 houses. These are now distributed as follows.
In summary, the plan now gives us;
Beyond this there are no guaranteed commitments to improving other key infrastructure needs such as health facilities, train capacity, parking, shops, cycle ways, local public transport and community hubs.
Considering that most of this new development will be on the outer boundaries of Billericay, more that 1 mile from core facilities, the increase in car use will be very high.
Furthermore, with no significant new local employment, most of the new working population will be commuting by car and inevitably by train. Network Rail say that increasing capacity is almost impossible and with all the new houses planned further down the line towards Southend trains are likely to be full before they get to Billericay.
Billericay does not need 2,800 new houses for local needs and with such little or questionable infrastructure the repercussions will have a long term negative effect on the quality of life in our historic town.
If you feel strongly about this please respond to the next public consultation expected to start in November 2018. For more information please see our Regulation 19 page.
The following articles are from earlier this year and have been left here to provide the historical context to the evolution of the Local Plan.
- 2,745 house on 9 primary development sites (H16-H20)
- 32 houses on 3 'self-build' sites (H21a, b, c)
- 2,777 houses in total
- A clear bias towards south west Billericay where 1,700 of the houses are to be located on 4 sites (H17a-H17d)
- All to be built on Green Belt land
- The relocation of the Tennis Club to a new larger location near to where it is sited today
- The relocation of the Cricket Club to a new larger site on the north side of London Road
- A new road linking the Laindon Road roundabout to a new roundabout on London Road. This will service the H17a-H17d sites and is expected to help relive congestion at Sun Corner, although no conclusive data exists to support this. The road will have a very narrow section along Frithwood Lane which the Council admits will need careful controls and will be of a lower standard to the rest of the road. The road will also need a new complex junction with Tye Common Road with priority being given to traffic on the new road. In effect, Tye Common Road will no longer be a through road in either direction.
- Norsey Road will be made one way going away from the High Street as far as the mini roundabout junction with St. Andrew Drive. Traffic coming towards Billericay along Norsey Road will either have to cut across to Stock Road or go down Jacksons Lane and up Hillside.
- Improvements to 4 other junctions across Billericay at Mountnessing Road/London Road, Sun Corner (vague plans that may include Laindon Road becoming 2-way again) and the addition of signals to 2 junctions on Southend Road (South Green)
- A new 2 or 3 form early years and primary school to be located close to the Football Club off Tye Common Road. This is by far the most positive commitment to infrastructure in the whole Local Plan.
- A new small employment area for light industrial use by taking out about 100 car parking places on Radford Crescent.
Beyond this there are no guaranteed commitments to improving other key infrastructure needs such as health facilities, train capacity, parking, shops, cycle ways, local public transport and community hubs.
Considering that most of this new development will be on the outer boundaries of Billericay, more that 1 mile from core facilities, the increase in car use will be very high.
Furthermore, with no significant new local employment, most of the new working population will be commuting by car and inevitably by train. Network Rail say that increasing capacity is almost impossible and with all the new houses planned further down the line towards Southend trains are likely to be full before they get to Billericay.
Billericay does not need 2,800 new houses for local needs and with such little or questionable infrastructure the repercussions will have a long term negative effect on the quality of life in our historic town.
If you feel strongly about this please respond to the next public consultation expected to start in November 2018. For more information please see our Regulation 19 page.
The following articles are from earlier this year and have been left here to provide the historical context to the evolution of the Local Plan.
The Final Position (as at March 2018)?
Since the original article below was written in early February a lot has happened.
At the Council's Infrastructure, Growth and Development Committee (IGDC) meeting on 13 February, it was agreed that Traveller pitches would be distributed around the borough where individual development sites were proposed for over 400 dwellings. As a result three sites in the south west of Billericay would accommodate 15 such pitches.
The IGDC meeting on the 19th March at the Basildon Sporting Village with around 800 residents attending, as adjourned from 13th March as a result of ‘mob rule’ (!) at the Towngate Theatre, the committee voted to not run the infamous relief road through Frith Wood and revert to the original option along Frithwood Lane. This was great news but hardly a surprise; it was clearly stage managed as a hollow gesture to Billericay. However, the 300 houses associated with the Frith Wood route remained in the plan despite attempts to get them removed by our local Councillors.
Finally, just 3 days later at the full Council meeting on 22 March, the Local Plan was voted through by the coalition administration against attempts by the Tories to amend and delay. It was sadly a forgone conclusion.
So what do we get? This map confirms the final site locations with the table showing the numbers of houses per site and the increase since the last public consultation in early 2016. Just to confuse, the site ‘H’ numbers changed too !
At the Council's Infrastructure, Growth and Development Committee (IGDC) meeting on 13 February, it was agreed that Traveller pitches would be distributed around the borough where individual development sites were proposed for over 400 dwellings. As a result three sites in the south west of Billericay would accommodate 15 such pitches.
The IGDC meeting on the 19th March at the Basildon Sporting Village with around 800 residents attending, as adjourned from 13th March as a result of ‘mob rule’ (!) at the Towngate Theatre, the committee voted to not run the infamous relief road through Frith Wood and revert to the original option along Frithwood Lane. This was great news but hardly a surprise; it was clearly stage managed as a hollow gesture to Billericay. However, the 300 houses associated with the Frith Wood route remained in the plan despite attempts to get them removed by our local Councillors.
Finally, just 3 days later at the full Council meeting on 22 March, the Local Plan was voted through by the coalition administration against attempts by the Tories to amend and delay. It was sadly a forgone conclusion.
So what do we get? This map confirms the final site locations with the table showing the numbers of houses per site and the increase since the last public consultation in early 2016. Just to confuse, the site ‘H’ numbers changed too !
All of the above houses will be on what is currently Green Belt.
Also;
• 32 self-build plots - 6 at Laindon Road (H22a); 20 at Maitland Lodge (H22b); 6 at The Mount (H22c).
• 15 pitches for Gypsies and Travellers are included in the H18 area, but exactly where is not stated.
• The primary and early years school to be located in site H18b is still included but as before funding to build and operate has yet to be secured.
• The relocation of the Cricket and Tennis Clubs is still a pivotal part of the plan, taking out even more Green Belt for their new locations.
With regard to the relief road, this map shows the final preferred route (note change from map above).
Also;
• 32 self-build plots - 6 at Laindon Road (H22a); 20 at Maitland Lodge (H22b); 6 at The Mount (H22c).
• 15 pitches for Gypsies and Travellers are included in the H18 area, but exactly where is not stated.
• The primary and early years school to be located in site H18b is still included but as before funding to build and operate has yet to be secured.
• The relocation of the Cricket and Tennis Clubs is still a pivotal part of the plan, taking out even more Green Belt for their new locations.
With regard to the relief road, this map shows the final preferred route (note change from map above).
Finally, there were some new surprises buried in the published Local Plan in the form of a proposal to make Norsey Road one way from the High Street to Highland Grove in that direction, and to add traffic lights to two junctions on Southend Road. It is unclear whether a suggestion to make a Laindon Road 2-way has been formally included.
The following old article is for reference only.
The following old article is for reference only.
The Situation before the infamous Council meeting of 22 March 2018
This page will be regularly updated to show the most recent situation with regard to the emerging Local Plan.
We pick up the story at the beginning of 2018.
The Infrastructure, Growth and Development Committee (IGD) meeting on 7th December, 2017 finally provided some idea of what of being considered for the next, and possibly final, iteration of the Local Plan.
At that meeting the councillors debated and voted on the primary sites across the borough and for Billericay it saw an increase in the number of houses to around 2,700, possibly nearer to 3,000 as you will see below. This was a 70% increase in numbers from the last published version of the Local Plan and the associated public consultation in early 2016.
Corresponding increases elsewhere in the borough amount to 4% in Basildon and 6% in Wickford so Billericay is taking the lion share of the increase. Six of the eight main Billericay sites increased in size substantially.
We pick up the story at the beginning of 2018.
The Infrastructure, Growth and Development Committee (IGD) meeting on 7th December, 2017 finally provided some idea of what of being considered for the next, and possibly final, iteration of the Local Plan.
At that meeting the councillors debated and voted on the primary sites across the borough and for Billericay it saw an increase in the number of houses to around 2,700, possibly nearer to 3,000 as you will see below. This was a 70% increase in numbers from the last published version of the Local Plan and the associated public consultation in early 2016.
Corresponding increases elsewhere in the borough amount to 4% in Basildon and 6% in Wickford so Billericay is taking the lion share of the increase. Six of the eight main Billericay sites increased in size substantially.
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The most significant change was the introduction of the South West Billericay High Level Development Framework covering the 4 sites H20-23 making up just over 1,700 of the total of 2,700.
However, at the committee meeting an additional 300 houses for site H20 was proposed by a representative from the developer Taylor Wimpey by re-routing the ‘relief road’ running across site H23 through Frith Wood and Burstead golf course, as opposed to along Frithwood Lane. This was accepted by the full committee and remains a feasible option.
As a result the total numbers for Billericay increased to almost 3,000 with the south west sites making up just over 2,000.
With the South West being so to critical to the overall plan for Billericay, please see the separate Save Frith Wood & SW Billericay page
However, at the committee meeting an additional 300 houses for site H20 was proposed by a representative from the developer Taylor Wimpey by re-routing the ‘relief road’ running across site H23 through Frith Wood and Burstead golf course, as opposed to along Frithwood Lane. This was accepted by the full committee and remains a feasible option.
As a result the total numbers for Billericay increased to almost 3,000 with the south west sites making up just over 2,000.
With the South West being so to critical to the overall plan for Billericay, please see the separate Save Frith Wood & SW Billericay page
BAG Comment
That IGD Committee meeting last December vividly highlighted the political nature of what’s happening in Basildon Council. Large reductions in Wickford were proposed by the Mayor, and in West Basildon by the Committee Chairman, in both cases relating to the areas that they represent on the Council. At one point the four Conservatives on the committee walked out of the meeting, citing a slight against one of their colleagues, so that for a time there was no Billericay representative present. This is characteristic of the instability of the Basildon Council and the constant political infighting and point scoring which appears to take precedence over the interests of residents. As far as we know none of the nine councillors who represent Billericay and Burstead on the Council are opposed to this Plan nor concerned about the adverse impact on Billericay as most of their voters are.
It is unacceptable that the Local Plan as it affects Billericay can be revised so drastically upwards with no further opportunity for the public to comment on the specifics in a formal consultation. In the previous consultation close to half of the responses came from Billericay and over 80% of people were opposed to the Plan. This has been totally disregarded by Basildon Council. This revised Plan, involving 70% more new homes than the previous proposal, serves to exacerbate further the already existing concerns :- failure to take any account of public opinion; erosion of the Green Belt without special or exceptional circumstances to justify it; grossly inadequate commitment to enhance infrastructure to cope with increased demand :- doctors and hospitals, schools, roads, trains, car parking etc; lack of concern about the impact on the environment and on heritage – for example the proposed new road would take a chunk out of the Ancient Woodland of Frithwood (which a Burstead councillor voted in favour of). |
The IGD Committee is responsible for the creation of the Local Plan as prepared by the Planning Officers. The Committee has 9 members:
The full Council is made up of:
No party is in overall control of the Committee or full Council but a coalition of Labour and the various Independents tends to call the shots |
What happens next?
It is understood that the full Council (all 42 ward councillors) will vote on a final iteration of the Local Plan as soon as 22 March, 2018.
Assuming it gets majority support from the councillors, the next stage in the progression of the Local Plan will be a ‘Regulation 19’ public consultation on the soundness of the Plan. This will be reviewed by the Planning Inspectorate, who will then hold an examination in public to decide whether Plan has been prepared according to the required rules and protocols. Together with the Billericay District Residents Association (BDRA) and the Billericay Society, BAG will be looking carefully at how they, and the general public, should respond to this, with advice to follow. Please see the separate Regulation 19 page.
If the Planning Inspectorate approves the plan it is scheduled to be formally adopted mid-2019.
Assuming it gets majority support from the councillors, the next stage in the progression of the Local Plan will be a ‘Regulation 19’ public consultation on the soundness of the Plan. This will be reviewed by the Planning Inspectorate, who will then hold an examination in public to decide whether Plan has been prepared according to the required rules and protocols. Together with the Billericay District Residents Association (BDRA) and the Billericay Society, BAG will be looking carefully at how they, and the general public, should respond to this, with advice to follow. Please see the separate Regulation 19 page.
If the Planning Inspectorate approves the plan it is scheduled to be formally adopted mid-2019.