As expected, Basildon Council submitted the Local Plan to the Planning Inspectorate in March and we now expect the Examination in Public to take place later this year, potentially October.
This is when we, as well as landowners, developers and their agents, can try to influence the outcome with the independent Planning Inspector before a plan is finally adopted and put in place.
We can see through the Regulation 19 consultation responses submitted at the end of last year that developers are calling the plan unsound and are pushing for more houses. They cite the fact that the Council has not met its full housing numbers (OAN) and they can, unsurprisingly, can help fix this! They are suggesting more sites, larger sites and higher densities of housing whilst at the same time trying to wriggle out of infrastructure commitments.
They are suggesting alternatives routes for the relief road which will blight large areas of south west Billericay near Frith Wood, and one developer is still trying to prove that the wood itself is not ancient, which is contrary to the Council's own analysis.
Bottom line is that developers will do all they can to push up their own profits with scant regard to the local residents.
We will of course continue to fight the opposite case at the Examination in Public, arguing that the number of houses being proposed for Billericay is significantly too high and is not what local needs dictate, the loss of Green Belt should not allowed and infrastructure provision is poor. Plus the relief road is unneeded and is no more than access to development.
The May ward elections saw the Conservative group lose control of Basildon Council to a coalition of Labour and Independents, known as the Basildon Alliance. We have yet to see any clear actions from the Alliance with regard to the Local Plan but it would appear that they will try to make changes, potentially overturning some of the amendments made by the previous Conservative administration. It is probable that we will have to fight the Council as well as developers.
We will post further updates in due course.
This is when we, as well as landowners, developers and their agents, can try to influence the outcome with the independent Planning Inspector before a plan is finally adopted and put in place.
We can see through the Regulation 19 consultation responses submitted at the end of last year that developers are calling the plan unsound and are pushing for more houses. They cite the fact that the Council has not met its full housing numbers (OAN) and they can, unsurprisingly, can help fix this! They are suggesting more sites, larger sites and higher densities of housing whilst at the same time trying to wriggle out of infrastructure commitments.
They are suggesting alternatives routes for the relief road which will blight large areas of south west Billericay near Frith Wood, and one developer is still trying to prove that the wood itself is not ancient, which is contrary to the Council's own analysis.
Bottom line is that developers will do all they can to push up their own profits with scant regard to the local residents.
We will of course continue to fight the opposite case at the Examination in Public, arguing that the number of houses being proposed for Billericay is significantly too high and is not what local needs dictate, the loss of Green Belt should not allowed and infrastructure provision is poor. Plus the relief road is unneeded and is no more than access to development.
The May ward elections saw the Conservative group lose control of Basildon Council to a coalition of Labour and Independents, known as the Basildon Alliance. We have yet to see any clear actions from the Alliance with regard to the Local Plan but it would appear that they will try to make changes, potentially overturning some of the amendments made by the previous Conservative administration. It is probable that we will have to fight the Council as well as developers.
We will post further updates in due course.
