Basildon
Does a withdrawn Local Plan make Wickford vulnerable to the developers?
Thursday 11 April 2024
It is feared that the lack of an up-to-date Local Plan is making a south Essex town open to speculative housing development. Basildon Council withdrew its Local Plan in 2022 and, although it is working on a new one, residents are anxious that developers will take advantage and apply to build houses across the borough. […] Read more >
Billericay ‘under attack’ – campaigners highlight potential housing onslaught
Thursday 28 March 2024
It might be scant consolation to its residents that their town has not featured before on these pages, but a campaign group is highlighting how Billericay is “under attack” from developers. The Billericay Action Group website shows how they “are targeting the London Road and Mountnessing Road area” of town, while another site in the […] Read more >
There’s still time to take part in consultation on Basildon business park
Wednesday 25 August 2021
Consultation on plans for a new “high-quality business park” at Basildon ends on Sunday (August 29). St. Modwen Logistics says its plans for land east of Burnt Mills industrial estate will create “over 2,000 jobs for local people, which could be worth approximately £50 million to Basildon’s economy”, while “delivering multi-million pound funding and contributions […] Read more >
Police join other agencies to target flytippers
Wednesday 26 May 2021
We all hate flytipping, so it comes as some relief to learn that Essex Police are on the case. Their rural engagement team have been working with the Environment Agency and local authorities to tackle an increasingly evident scourge. Operations can entail days of action with a local authority that include mobile police patrols and […] Read more >
The Green Belt: its value is obvious but it needs protecting more than ever, says new report
Wednesday 20 November 2019
Lying next to London, Essex is of course well served by the capital’s Green Belt. A report by a cross-party Parliamentary group shows that London’s Metropolitan Green Belt not only protects against urban sprawl but also provides vital countryside on our doorstep for health and well-being. Benefits include: • 26, 267 hectares of Sites of […] Read more >
What Thames estuary growth plans could mean for climate change… and accountability
Monday 10 June 2019
The government’s backing of proposals to target the Thames estuary for massive development flies in the face of wider calls to tackle climate change, according to one of CPRE’s leading lights in the area. In June last year the Thames Estuary 2050 Growth Commission published a report calling for the building of more than a […] Read more >
A million new homes, two development corporations… and a very special friend to make it all happen
Monday 1 April 2019
Back in September, we wrote: “If you thought development pressure on Essex could not get any worse, there is some sobering reading from the Thames Estuary Growth Commission. “This advisory body to the government is urging ‘joint spatial plans’ to be created in both Essex and Kent to support the building of more than a […] Read more >
South Essex in the firing line for colossal housing growth
Wednesday 5 September 2018
If you thought development pressure on Essex could not get any worse, there is some sobering reading from the Thames Estuary Growth Commission. This advisory body to the government is urging “joint spatial plans” to be created in both Essex and Kent to support the building of more than a million homes. The two counties […] Read more >