MORE than 700 new homes are set to be built across Essex towns, with council planners saying the developments should go ahead.
The properties could be built across Laindon, Vange, Billericay and Wickford, on sites ranging from open farmland to a former bar destroyed by two fires. Basildon Borough Council’s planning committee is expected to approve the plans at a meeting on Wednesday (April 22).
One plan proposes 375 homes and a new children’s nursery on farmland off Mandeville Way in Laindon. A new junction off Mandeville Way would be built to provide access to the development.
There are also plans for 300 homes on greenbelt land off London Road, in Vange. The site is near the Grade II-listed Church of All Saints, Vange Primary School, and the former Homebase. It follows previous plans submitted for up to 650 new homes, shops, and a community centre at the site.
The former Reids bar in Laindon Road, Billericay, which was destroyed by fire, could also be replaced by 32 flats. The business, which was a popular nightlife hotspot, was hit by fires in 2022 and 2024.
During the second fire, the nearby children’s nursery suffered some smoke damage, but the fire did not spread to it. According to the report, the site is a “highly sustainable location”, and the plans would be “improving the visual amenities of the local area.”
There are also plans for 45 homes to replace a bungalow and a small group of stable buildings off London Road in Wickford. The proposals include a new small junction for vehicles off London Road to the south of the site. The development would also see a “comprehensive package of mitigation and infrastructure”, according to the planning officer.
There are also plans for nine detached homes in Castledon Road, Wickford, with eight four-bedroom houses and one three-bedroom detached house. The larger properties would have four parking spaces, while the smaller ones would have three.
The council’s planning officer’s report states that the proposals for the 375 new homes would deliver a “comprehensive” package of financial contributions for services, including education, healthcare, and transport.
It also adds: “The proposal represents sustainable development which would deliver significant social, economic and environmental benefits. The proposal would deliver up to 375 dwellings, including a significant proportion of affordable housing, and would therefore make a meaningful and immediate contribution towards addressing both housing need and affordability pressures within the borough.”
