The next two significant events will be the appeal hearings for the Dunton Road and Potash Road sites taking place in November and December respectively. We will follow the appeals and provide updates in due course.
The outcomes of both appeals are very important as they will give a good indication of how further large scale Green Belt planning applications will be handled and decided, both locally or at further appeals.
The outcomes of both appeals are very important as they will give a good indication of how further large scale Green Belt planning applications will be handled and decided, both locally or at further appeals.
| Early next year we expect to see a report summarising the results of the Issues & Options public consultation on the new Local Plan that took place during the summer. We understand that over 700 people from across the borough submitted more than 2,000 comments. You can read all the comments here; basildonlocalplan.commonplace.is/ It remains unlikely that we will see any details of the new plan until late next year, according to the council’s current schedule. That will be a first draft version of the Local Plan and will be subject to further public consultation, possibly next year or in 2025. The council is still predicting that the new plan will be adopted in 2027. |  |
We will have the annual ward elections in May next year. Those elections will be unique as some of the wards will change, such as Steeple View moving into Burstead ward. As a result, all of the 42 seats on the council will be up for election, something that hasn’t happened for 20 years or so. Typically, just a third of the seats are re-elected each May.
This map shows the new wards from May 2024.
This map shows the new wards from May 2024.
At some point next year the planning application for Southend Road will be decided. We strongly believe that the characteristics of that site, and the council’s background position on housing provision, are broadly the same as Potash Road and would expect the application to be rejected too. At this stage we struggle to see any circumstances where the council could justify an approval.
Sadly we think it’s inevitable that we will see yet more planning applications for major sites in the Green Belt - sites that were in the withdrawn Local Plan. There were 8 such sites around Billericay and 3 have been subject to planning applications so far. Applications for similar sites elsewhere in the borough are coming forward.
Planning applications have existed since 2019 for the 540 houses on Mountnessing Road (site H17a below) and associated new roundabout access from London Road but those remain undecided. The other sites were no planning applications have been seen so far are London Road/Tye Common Road (H17b), a second on Tye Common Road (H17c), between Frithwood Lane and Laindon Road (H17d), and Greens Farm Lane (H19a & b).
Planning applications have existed since 2019 for the 540 houses on Mountnessing Road (site H17a below) and associated new roundabout access from London Road but those remain undecided. The other sites were no planning applications have been seen so far are London Road/Tye Common Road (H17b), a second on Tye Common Road (H17c), between Frithwood Lane and Laindon Road (H17d), and Greens Farm Lane (H19a & b).
As always, please keep an eye on this web site and our social media outlets for the latest news.
