Billericay campaigning residents gather to 'save green belt'

Billericay residents are rallying together after Basildon Council’s draft local plan consultation revealed up to 4,170 new homes could be built across seven sites after landowners put forward their land. 

Basildon Council is currently consulting with residents over potential sites which will “guide the development of Basildon over coming years”, but frustrated residents in Billericay fear the town’s roads, GPs and schools are already at capacity. 

The councillors say that not all residents have been included in the Draft Local Plan consultation. (Image: George Pizani)

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Once drawn up, the local plan will dictate where 27,000 new homes - with up to 17,000 on green belt land - will be built across the borough. 

“The roads are already incredibly busy, let alone when they develop all of the homes, they already have planning permission for,” said resident Denise Pearson as campaigners gathered in London Road on Saturday. 

Friend, Kay Baker, added: “The schools around here have 34 students in a class, you can’t get a dentist appointment, and the doctors have massive backlogs. We just don’t have the infrastructure.” 

The councillors joined more than 40 residents in a show of opposition to the Draft Local Plan (Image: George Pizani)
Alongside up to 4,170 homes in Billericay, the consultation on potential sites includes up to 3,570 homes in Wickford, space for 3,000 homes in Bowers Gifford, up to 3,000 homes in Dunton and thousands surrounding the A13. 

Residents claim the “lack of a physical copy” of the consultation at Billericay Library means that those without internet access have been excluded from the public.

“It’s such a struggle trying to access the local plan online, you’ve got to enter and re-enter your password, and then when you’re in it’s still very hard to understand,” said Denise.

Resident groups have also begun to form, with Billericay Action Group playing a large part in organising Saturday’s demonstration.

Vanessa Carter, one of the organisers on Billericay Action Groups, said: “The main issue underscoring all of this is the unrealistic and overinflated housing target that has been driven by the government’s algorithm.

“Basildon Council haven’t challenged government on that unrealistic target, it’s grown massively over the last few years”.

The public consultation is running until January 25.