Housing Numbers and Associated Policies
Strategic Growth Policy SG1 - Overall Plan Housing Target
The Government ‘Standard Method’ algorithm requires 27,918 houses by 2043 – but the Local Plan seeks to go higher still, to 28,430. How can this be justified?
We can’t change the government-imposed target itself (27, 918) – even though local needs (births and deaths) are for only 6000, and could easily be provided without using Green Belt.
That said, although recent planning changes make this much harder, Basildon could have made a case for a Local Plan housing target lower than the ‘Standard Method’, rather than higher.
They haven’t so it is up to us to draw attention to borough-wide impacts of seeking to meet and exceed such high targets – things like the A127 and other major roads, limited quantity/quality of local jobs, Basildon Hospital etc.
If the Inspector does recommend a lower target, then it will merely be a deferral until the next “5-Year Review” of the Plan – but that would probably be carried out in the context of a joint Basildon-Thurrock Plan which may offer some alternative, less terrible, solutions.
And who knows, by the time of the 5 Year Review, central government may have adopted a more sensible attitude to Housing Targets and Green Belt protection.
We can’t change the government-imposed target itself (27, 918) – even though local needs (births and deaths) are for only 6000, and could easily be provided without using Green Belt.
That said, although recent planning changes make this much harder, Basildon could have made a case for a Local Plan housing target lower than the ‘Standard Method’, rather than higher.
They haven’t so it is up to us to draw attention to borough-wide impacts of seeking to meet and exceed such high targets – things like the A127 and other major roads, limited quantity/quality of local jobs, Basildon Hospital etc.
If the Inspector does recommend a lower target, then it will merely be a deferral until the next “5-Year Review” of the Plan – but that would probably be carried out in the context of a joint Basildon-Thurrock Plan which may offer some alternative, less terrible, solutions.
And who knows, by the time of the 5 Year Review, central government may have adopted a more sensible attitude to Housing Targets and Green Belt protection.
Strategic Growth Policy SG3 - Distribution of Growth
Over 18,000 houses would be built on Green Belt, half of them around Billericay (including the H10 estate at Dunton Road, which would merge Basildon with Billericay).
The population of the area would grow by over 60% over 17 years, overwhelming transport and social infrastructure, much of which is over capacity already!
This is the best place to let the Inspector know about the many problems this will cause in Billericay. We have some of the most important wildlife habitats, the most constrained road network, we have issues with school capacity, health provision etc – none of this is mentioned in the Councils reasoning.
If you wish you can always repeat, and so reinforce points made here when commenting on specific housing allocations.
The hope would be that this encourages the Inspector to mitigate or delete some of the new Billericay estates.
The population of the area would grow by over 60% over 17 years, overwhelming transport and social infrastructure, much of which is over capacity already!
This is the best place to let the Inspector know about the many problems this will cause in Billericay. We have some of the most important wildlife habitats, the most constrained road network, we have issues with school capacity, health provision etc – none of this is mentioned in the Councils reasoning.
If you wish you can always repeat, and so reinforce points made here when commenting on specific housing allocations.
The hope would be that this encourages the Inspector to mitigate or delete some of the new Billericay estates.
