Basildon Borough at risk of uncontrolled development

Secretary of State, Michael Gove, has ordered Basildon Council to make progress on introducing a new local development plan, or face intervention, in a scathing letter on the Council's failure to adopt a plan for the development and use of land in its area for the last 19 years.

He said that the “Council's persistent failure to adopt a plan has left its communities vulnerable to speculative development and has risked not delivering the economic growth and infrastructure they need”. 

Basildon is the only Council in the country who have not either adopted a plan in the current system, or who do not anticipate to meet the June 2025 deadline for submission.

As well as not having a current local development plan, Basildon Council is also far below the 5 year housing land supply target that is taken into account by the Planning Inspectors when judging appeals by developers.

Developers have seized on the Council's planning failures by submitting speculative applications for schemes across the Borough that they hope will be passed on appeal by the Planning Inspectorate. 

Commenting on the letter, Crouch & Castledon ward campaigner Stewart Mott said:

“The failure to adopt a local plan, and ensure that Basildon meets the housing land supply target is a dereliction of duty by Basildon Councillors over many years. They should be held responsible for the uncontrolled developments that will get approved on appeal, as they have allowed the conditions to develop for these appeals to be successful. 

The Council needs new leadership that can have the confidence of the Secretary of State and the Government to progress and adopt a local development plan without unnecessary delays. 

We need Councillors committed to building the right homes, in the rights places, with the right infrastructure. This cannot be achieved by electing the same Councillors, again and again. 

In May residents will have a choice between hard working Liberal Democrat local champions that can deliver the change our borough needs or the Conservative candidates who’ve got us in this mess.”