As we head towards the end of what has been the most challenging of years for all of us, we thought that we would provide a summary of this year and status update on the Local Plan.
It is now over 2 years (October 2018) since the emerging Local Plan was approved by Basildon Council and by the time we get to next March it will be 2 years (March 2019) since the plan was submitted to the Planning Inspector for public examination.
That examination has still not been scheduled and no one really knows why there has been such a long delay. COVID-19 might have had some delaying effect, but we know of other examinations that have taken place this year, albeit virtually.
Considering all the threats from 2 years ago that there would be Government intervention if Basildon did not adopt a new Local Plan, and the fact that Basildon continually fails the housing delivery test (HDT) citing the need for a new Local Plan to build more houses, it seems strange that the submitted Local Plan has been allowed to get dusty on the shelf.
Perhaps it’s so bad that the Planning Inspector can’t face examining it?!
There is good and bad in the delay, but the overall feeling is that the Local Plan sits like a dark cloud over us, blighting our community. Even if the examination takes place in 2021 it may not be adopted by Basildon Council until 2022 at the earliest, possibly 2023. Another 2 years of uncertainty!
However, it is important to be reminded that no building can take place on the Green Belt sites proposed until the new Local Plan is adopted, assuming those sites survive the public examination.
Whilst the plan remains in this state of limbo further major changes or amendments cannot be made by the Council. But that hasn’t stopped them trying. We are aware that the Council has contacted the Planning Inspector to get substantive changes made to help address the A127 air quality issues, and to add in the 4,000 new homes being proposed as part of the Basildon town centre redevelopment.
We do not have major objections to either of those changes, but we would expect them to be subject to proper Council committee scrutiny and further public consultation, as opposed to a cosy arrangement behind the scenes between the Council and the Inspector. We know that developers eyeing other parts of the Borough have been working with Basildon Council on their proposals and it is difficult not to believe that the same is happening for the Billericay sites. We also know that the work on the Masterplan for SW Billericay, completed with the assistance of local residents, has been submitted to the developers but has not been made public as was promised. We will be watching all this very closely.
The new Local Plan at the end of 2020 is therefore the same as it was in October 2018 in proposing close to 3,000 new dwellings in Billericay all on the Green Belt. Nothing has changed. The threat of excessive development remains.
We are acutely aware of Government proposals to overhaul the planning system as announced in August this year and they could, if approved, have a material effect on the Local Plan. We wrote a full analysis of the proposals on our web site recently but in summary we are concerned about losing local involvement and scrutiny, that more housing will be skewed towards the south east, that there are no better guarantees of adequate infrastructure provision or better protection for the environment and the Green Belt. The proposals read like a developer’s charter making it easier, quicker and no doubt more profitable to build.
Thankfully, many MPs across the political spectrum share our concerns so there remains a chance the the planning reforms will get thrown out or amended for the better. Another matter that we are following with interest.
That is about it for 2020. The fight, somewhat frustratingly, continues.
Finally, the BAG committee would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your continued support and to wish to a Merry Christmas and a Happy (and hopefully more normal) New Year.
It is now over 2 years (October 2018) since the emerging Local Plan was approved by Basildon Council and by the time we get to next March it will be 2 years (March 2019) since the plan was submitted to the Planning Inspector for public examination.
That examination has still not been scheduled and no one really knows why there has been such a long delay. COVID-19 might have had some delaying effect, but we know of other examinations that have taken place this year, albeit virtually.
Considering all the threats from 2 years ago that there would be Government intervention if Basildon did not adopt a new Local Plan, and the fact that Basildon continually fails the housing delivery test (HDT) citing the need for a new Local Plan to build more houses, it seems strange that the submitted Local Plan has been allowed to get dusty on the shelf.
Perhaps it’s so bad that the Planning Inspector can’t face examining it?!
There is good and bad in the delay, but the overall feeling is that the Local Plan sits like a dark cloud over us, blighting our community. Even if the examination takes place in 2021 it may not be adopted by Basildon Council until 2022 at the earliest, possibly 2023. Another 2 years of uncertainty!
However, it is important to be reminded that no building can take place on the Green Belt sites proposed until the new Local Plan is adopted, assuming those sites survive the public examination.
Whilst the plan remains in this state of limbo further major changes or amendments cannot be made by the Council. But that hasn’t stopped them trying. We are aware that the Council has contacted the Planning Inspector to get substantive changes made to help address the A127 air quality issues, and to add in the 4,000 new homes being proposed as part of the Basildon town centre redevelopment.
We do not have major objections to either of those changes, but we would expect them to be subject to proper Council committee scrutiny and further public consultation, as opposed to a cosy arrangement behind the scenes between the Council and the Inspector. We know that developers eyeing other parts of the Borough have been working with Basildon Council on their proposals and it is difficult not to believe that the same is happening for the Billericay sites. We also know that the work on the Masterplan for SW Billericay, completed with the assistance of local residents, has been submitted to the developers but has not been made public as was promised. We will be watching all this very closely.
The new Local Plan at the end of 2020 is therefore the same as it was in October 2018 in proposing close to 3,000 new dwellings in Billericay all on the Green Belt. Nothing has changed. The threat of excessive development remains.
We are acutely aware of Government proposals to overhaul the planning system as announced in August this year and they could, if approved, have a material effect on the Local Plan. We wrote a full analysis of the proposals on our web site recently but in summary we are concerned about losing local involvement and scrutiny, that more housing will be skewed towards the south east, that there are no better guarantees of adequate infrastructure provision or better protection for the environment and the Green Belt. The proposals read like a developer’s charter making it easier, quicker and no doubt more profitable to build.
Thankfully, many MPs across the political spectrum share our concerns so there remains a chance the the planning reforms will get thrown out or amended for the better. Another matter that we are following with interest.
That is about it for 2020. The fight, somewhat frustratingly, continues.
Finally, the BAG committee would like to take the opportunity to thank you for your continued support and to wish to a Merry Christmas and a Happy (and hopefully more normal) New Year.
