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You didn’t think it could get any worse?

10/12/2017

17 Comments

 
We’ve always tried to present residents with a dispassionate review of the facts.  However all that is changing.  Here’s a fairly passionate review.
Thursday night, at Basildon Council’s Infrastructure, Growth and Development Committee meeting. Billericay was sold down the river, or to be more technically correct, sold into the concrete.
Councillors agreed the sites that will finally be evaluated for inclusion in the Local Plan to be presented to the Government.  For Billericay it is now even worse than the information we published a few days ago.
To help ensure there was no bias, no laughing at the back, an opportunity was given for councillors to comment on each of the sites identified as candidates for the Plan and many sites received the attention of an interested councillor.
Of the 8 major sites proposed for Billericay only the H20 to H23 grouping and its new road received any comment at all.
Following a presentation by a representative from a developer, Taylor Wimpey, councillors, including our own Councillor Baggott, agreed to promote an alternative route for the south west relief road which would provide access to a further 300 new houses whilst taking a part of the Ancient Woodland at Frith Wood.  This alternative route would cut through the top of the Burstead Golf Course. 
In the subsequent discussion the only matters to really interest the assembled throng were possible traffic problems on Billericay Football Club match days and whether the 18th hole would be safe.
As a result of the decision we now have over 2900 new houses allocated to Billericay, 1200 (70%) more than we were consulted upon, all in the Green Belt.
Not every site was increased and when councillors did have something to say about the other sites it was remarkable how excited they became.  As an example when the Mayor (who represents Wickford Park), and who for the record isn’t actually a member of the committee, proposed removing H18 (London Road, Wickford) the proposal was so quickly adopted they overlooked the need for a valid reason and had to be reminded to invent one.  Then when the chair (who represents Langdon Hills) proposed removing 2000 houses from H10 (West Basildon Extension), leaving only 300 new houses, the atmosphere became electric.  Her reason was partly understandable, we don’t know what Brentwood and Thurrock will do in the area, but did they really have to safeguard the site for the whole period of the Plan?   See what you can do when you are in power.
Wouldn’t it have been good if Billericay had had a councillor there on Thursday night to stand up for us?
Indeed, for a time on Thursday night, Billericay had no representative in the chamber for such an important session as at one point the Tory gang of 4 walked out of the meeting, citing a slight against one of their colleagues.  They returned, then left again and only after more discussion with a council legal representative did they return for a second time.
The epithet BrokenBasildon is being used to describe the current atmosphere of blatant anti-Billericay bias coming from the Basildon Centre and the mistaken belief by our own elected representatives that political posturing is a credible form of defence.  Who can argue with #BrokenBasildon ?
Have a listen yourselves... it's all recorded and available here
17 Comments
Mandy
10/12/2017 19:02:03

How can we do more to protect are Green in Billericay, we cannot let this town down by taking away its originality. There are already so many houses being built around Billericay which will make the town become more congested and traffic unbearable...

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Lisa link
11/12/2017 09:57:30

Totally agree with your comment.

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Lynn smith
11/12/2017 07:33:50

How can we allow this to happen ?
Greed & Corruption , Who's pockets are being lined from the sale of our land ?

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Lisa link
11/12/2017 09:56:20

I just want to cry. Billericay is about to be destroyed. Gone will be a town where residents care. It will become a gridlocked conurbation of disgruntled hone owners. What childish and spiteful councillors there are at Basildon. Jealous of what others have worked hard to attain. The council tax we pay subsidises Badildon. Think the residents of Billericay will stop playing fair as we are obvioulsy being treated fairly. Maybe time to go independent and exit this council.

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David Croney
11/12/2017 14:52:15

Get in touch with the woodland trust, they're fierce campaigners for the preservation of ancient woodland. I used to live next to frith wood in first avenue and it would be tragic to see this once large wood destroyed.

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Peter Patterson
11/12/2017 21:35:20

What is our local MP’s position on this?

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Donna
13/12/2017 07:02:42

This is an outrage. There is not enough infrastructure in this town to cope with 2900 new homes. Not enough school places, not enough doctor surgeries, not enough parking etc. There’s even a lack of space on the train for commuters. How can they possibly think this is a good idea. Surely seeing what happens to the town on match days (Billericay Town FC) is reason enough to prove another 2900 homes would cause total chaos to a beautiful town!!

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John
14/12/2017 10:50:49

It is apparent that the Billericay ward members have an arrogant disregard for the interests of their constituents and the negative impact the proposed ludicrous development plans will have on the current semi rural infrastructure. If, as it seems, our ward members have lost interest in the people, who voted them into power, perhaps it's time they considered whether they are fit for purpose and resign their seats. In fact, Billericay residents could make this easy for them and submit a petition of no confidence, as have residents of other authorities.

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irene
16/12/2017 10:52:11

I agree. A vote of no confidence for Cllr Baggott, our Burstead Councillor who voted for the destruction of his own Ward.. How do we do it?

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John
2/1/2018 15:24:43

I wonder if a petition of no confidence would be better arranged by BAG in conjunction with SEEAGA against Basildon councillors as a whole, in order to stop our local concerns being used as ammunition for political in-fighting by other party councillors. I understand that councillors are under no obligation to resign, having been the subject of a no confidence vote. However, despite residents' concerns having been previously disregarded, it would be another opportunity for all Basidon residents to demonstrate their genuine concerns en mass, regarding the poorly thought through local plan.

Pete
16/12/2017 19:54:28

Once this green belt/agricultural land is built on, it will lost forever never to return. This plan has to be put off before it's too late. If the farmer at Kingsmans refuses to sell, then it doesn't go ahead. No ring road, no building. Please reconsider...

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Graham
27/1/2018 19:56:25

He'll no doubt be offered a price that he cannot reasonably refuse. Unfortunately as always in this age money talks loudest. Hence the volume of houses now voted through. Neither Green Belt nor Wildlife preservation counts only putting one over on Billericay for the Labour/UKIP/Independent consortium and putting a tick in the box for the maximum houses to be built for the shirking Tories!

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Peter link
19/12/2017 08:36:24

Everyone recognises that a certain amount of new homes need to be built...but not on this scale. The brown field sites haven't been exhausted yet and once these areas of Green belt are concrete over, there will be no going back...Green belt lost forever, never to return. What a perverse decision. 're H20, if the farmer at Kingsmans Farm refuses to sell his land, then the road doesn't go ahead and the other sites are also saved. If he is desperate to sell, then how about offering some of the land to Billericay residents for allotments or the Woodland trust for tree planting, helping to alleviate flooding and using nature's filters to clean the air of pollutants, as opposed to adding to the filthy air we breathe with more congestion, more traffic. Once developed...No going back

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Allan
21/1/2018 19:01:38

Having listened to much of the meeting, it appears that the Local Plan is being rushed through to meet Governments deadlines without allowing proper consideration of the impact it would have upon the local environment. It is effectively a 'new plan' that is being submitted without allowing for public consultation. It makes a mockery of the whole process.

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patricia whybra
3/2/2018 21:14:54

The process of this Plan makes a mockery of so-called local democracy. There is much cynical talk about affordable housing for young people - needless to say none of the houses built in Billericay will fulfil the criteria.

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Julian Whybra
4/2/2018 12:57:48

When elected representatives no longer represent the electorate normal conditions no longer apply.
I suggest that BAG asks Billericay Town Council to canvass the people of the the town and 4 villages re:
1.declaring a unilateral declaration of independence from Basildon
2.renouncing the Local Plan and refusing its implementation
3.obtaining the endorsement of the M.P.
4.persuading the populace to transfer its community charge payments from Basildon Council to Billericay TC with a view to its taking over (at least for the interim) the basic functions and obligations of Basildon Council within the town & 4 villages re refuse collection, etc, etc.
It might not be strictly legal (though it could follow a legal implementation), but it could be democratic, and it would be fair.
whereas what Basildon Council has done is illegal, undemocratic, and unfair.

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Sheila Harding
28/3/2018 17:18:58

With every new house built will eventually bring two cars. Motorists already have to park partially on the pavement to ensure the free flow of traffic so goodness knows what the future will bring in the way of pedestrian accidents, mothers with pushchairs put in danger, parked cars being scratched not to mention the holdups waiting to squeeze past semi- parked cars. People on their way to work are hardly in the most patient frame of mind to give much consideration to these problems.

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    Aims of BAG

    To protect the Green Belt around Billericay and elsewhere in Basildon Borough from loss through excessive and unjustified development.

    To prevent the character of our historic towns from being changed forever.

    To ensure that any development that does take place is sustainable, with adequate infrastructure and prioritises local needs.

    We support the need for a new Basildon Local Plan and the need for more housing. But it must be of the right number, the right type and in the right places to best help local people obtain a home of their own.
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