550 new homes, a hotel and a new Aldi will ‘carry on to the benefit’, a new council leader has said. The regeneration of Westgate Shopping Park in Basildon, will continue, Councillor Andy Barnes has said. Mr Barnes, who’s the new leader of Basildon Borough Council, took over following the huge success of Reform UK at the local elections in early May reports the Local Democracy Reporter.
The plans include around 550 homes, a hotel and new Aldi store. Mr Barnes said: “I haven’t looked into the detailed finance, because it’s a very complicated project with a lot of moving parts. My initial thoughts are it will broadly carry on, because I think it is to the benefit of residents.”
Mr Barnes took leadership of the council following an agreement with Reform UK, after Nigel Farage’s party took 11 seats at the local elections. Back in November, the council’s planning committee agreed plans for a seven storey 95-bedroom hotel with a rooftop bar and a block of 97 one and two bedroom flats.
Mr Barnes, who’s a Billericay councillor, added: “When we were looking at purchasing the Westgate, which was a decision the Conservatives didn’t go through with, we had similar ideas at the time. Given the council now owns it, it would seem silly to at least not be open to the possibility of that’s the direction we’re going.”
There will be 79 one bedroom flats, and 18 two bedroom flats. The flats block ranges from three to nine stories in height and the plans include six disabled parking spaces, three for the hotel and three for the new flats. The flats will be for older people who have extra care needs. It also comes as the new council leader, says the huge 3,500 seat arena, which is proposed for the town centre “could be scrapped.”
