THE make-up of Basildon “could change forever” if more than 27,000 homes are built in the borough over the next 20 years.

According to Basildon Council documents, the local plan will see Basildon set the task of building a whopping 27,111 homes to meet the demand for new housing.

As part of the local plan, up to 16,928 of those homes could be allocated on green belt sites across the borough, with more than 10,000 affordable homes planned.

Concerns have been raised the figure is “unsustainable” with a Conservative councillor stating the number of homes represents “a whole new town the size of Wickford” being built.

Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of the council, insisted Basildon’s lack of local plan has led to “disastrous levels of house building and a total lack of infrastructure”.

Alex Myers, Conservative councillor for Castledon and Crouch ward, said: “I think it is a fantasy. We can’t even build all the ones we have now that have planning permission on time.

“27,000 in 20 years is a lot to find all the builders too, considering other boroughs will have similar numbers. I don’t think the plan will be found to be sound.

“Green Belt is still protected, unless there are special circumstances demonstrated, sometimes they are, sometimes they are not. Nothing has changed since Labour came in, in regard to that, until it is put into law for their grey belt proposals “If you are looking at 17,000 on green belt alone, I can’t see where the infrastructure will come for that, where there is room for that. It is just not deliverable or sustainable. If it is found to be sound, it would change the makeup of the borough forever sadly.”

Documents for a policy scrutiny committee earlier this month stated Basildon “needs to grow and change” and the meeting highlights that Basildon Council is “committed to meeting the housing needs of our borough in full”.

Mr Callaghan said: “We haven’t had a local plan in Basildon since 1998. This has resulted in disastrous levels of house building and a total lack of infrastructure under the Tories. We can’t repeat these mistakes.

“The local plan is essential in making sure we get money for GP surgeries, schools, roads, dentists and the other public services people rely on.

“It is a crisis like we haven’t seen since world war two because councils have bottled the big decisions. Labour isn’t doing that, we are tackling the problems head on.”