Basildon Council: potential sites for 27,111 homes identified

Ahead of a meeting next week, Basildon Council has published its draft local plan revealing where homes could be built to meet Government targets over the next 19 years. 

Wickford and Billericay councillors have expressed fury at the heavy allocation of sites from the green belt surrounding both towns, with land put forward west of the Wick Country Park ranging from 500 to 1,000 homes and land to the east totalling 1,100. 

Councillor - George Jeffery (Image: George Jeffery)

In total, space for roughly 4,220 homes has been identified in Wickford including sites off London Road, Nevendon Road, and on both sides of the country park.

Billericay has an estimated capacity of 4,170 homes across seven new sites put forward by landowners, including land surrounding Billericay Town FC, at Burstead Golf Club, at Stock Brook Manor and numerous small sports grounds near Barleylands.

Wickford Tory councillor George Jeffery said: “I think the first thing is that this comes as no surprise. Labour wanted to do this, and their rhetoric has been both anti-Billericay and Wickford. Ideally, we should keep a green field around Wickford, we are not a suburb of Basildon and the numbers of homes are so substantial.

“How is the A127 going to cope? How will the roads around the Wick Country Park cope, it is giving developers a charter with no infrastructure.” 

Defence - Adele Brown (Image: Adele Brown)

Mr Jeffery added that homes would result in a “new suburb” between Wickford and Rochford. 

Billericay town council independent councillor Jim Devlin said: “The main issue you have to look at is the chaos in town we have had with recent roadworks in Stock Road. More houses will put pressure on Mountnessing Road. It is difficult and quite unfortunate.”

Country Park - The Wick (Image: George Jeffery) Basildon Labour deputy leader Adele Brown emphasised that the consultation sites are not decided by the council: “We cannot control the land that comes forward privately.

"The local plan is not a technical, bureaucratic document and it is important that residents have a voice.

“What we would like is to see what the borough would look like as the population grows.”