Billericay Town Council Consultation Response
Question 1 Do you agree with the housing and economic requirements for the Borough up to2031? Please give reasons why.
YES
BTC cannot dismiss the “Objectively Assessed Needs” established by the supporting documents.
Presumably the targets quoted will satisfy the Planning Inspectorate.
Question 2
The Council will distribute the housing and economic requirements proportionately
to each settlement. Do you agree? Please give reasons why.
NO
Billericay Town Council support Spatial Option 2C as this is the more sustainable option. The prime employment location in the Borough is Basildon and thus locating the majority of new housing in Basildon will prevent inter-town commuting and provide a more environmentally sound solution. Spatial Option 2A has drawbacks because there is no potential for urban development in Billericay, the “proportionate” requirement based on population means a relatively greater demand for Green Belt housing:
Thus a proportionate approach based on population alone would result in 300 fewer houses for Billericay. Taking account of landscape setting, settlement separation, infrastructure limitations (including highway and traffic constraints), historic character, local employment opportunities and area, Billericay will suffer a disproportionate loss of Green Belt.
Question 3
Do you agree with the approach for Basildon to grow? Please give reasons why.
YES
Basildon must grow because of Government pressure. Regeneration is necessary in certain areas of the town.
The infrastructure is able to support development, with a reasonable supply of brownfield sites.
Question 4
Do you agree with the approach for Wickford to grow? Please give reasons why.
YES
Wickford’s separation from other settlements and its irregular boundaries provide scope for expansion.
Regeneration is necessary in certain areas of the town.
Partnership with Chelmsford City Council to the north-east of the town (Runwell area) could provide joint development possibilities.
Question 5
Do you agree with the approach for Billericay to grow? Please give reasons why.
NO
See Question 2. Under the preferred Spatial Option 2A, Billericay will suffer a disproportionate loss of Green Belt land. The Billericay Design Statement Stage II Consultation proposed “Except for replacement dwellings, any development outside the town envelope must be resisted”. This recommendation was supported by 89% of the 712 respondents.
As stated in its response to the 2012 CS1 Spatial Options Paper TP9, BTC strongly supports rejection of what was PGA29 (land to the east of Greens Farm Lane) in the new PADC list.
With regard to the Western Expansion Zone Billericay Town Council calls for another public consultation for the west ward when sites have been identified. This is the biggest concentration of housing planned for Billericay and the Town Council cannot give any feedback until there are firmer plans.
Question 6
Do you agree with the approach for Crays Hill, RamsdenBellhouse, Bowers Gifford
and the plotland areas to grow? Please give reasons why.
In general the arguments for rejecting significant expansion of these settlements are convincing. However, Crays Hill might be an exception. The area has reasonable separation from other settlements and convenient access to A129 and A127.
In addition, Crays Hill has suffered from the stigma associated with the Dale Farm saga. Redevelopment and expansion would provide an opportunity to restore its reputation and perhaps make use of unproductive land.
Question 7
Do you agree with the Council's core policies? Please give reasons why.
In general BTC supports or is neutral on Core Policies 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 and 20, although some of these contradict the loss of Green Belt resulting from Spatial Option 2A.
BTC is anxious to protect Open Spaces within the town envelope, using the designation as defined in the NPPF, paragraphs 76, 77 & 78. There is no mention of this in Core Policy 10 – Green Infrastructure. BTC would like the Local Plan to ensure that existing Open Spaces (identified in the Billericay Design Statement pp 42 & 43) enjoy Local Green Space protection. Additional housing in the town will add to the pressure on existing green infrastructure (eg parking and recreational facilities in Lake Meadows) and exacerbate the need for allotments (there are no allotments in the town at present). All new development sites should allow space for allotment provision.
Any development must first have an updated mapping of present underground streams and drainage, then a planned development of sustainable urban drainage systems to deal with future surface and underground water flooding anticipated with new building schemes. Recent events have demonstrated that a proactive water management policy is essential.
BTC does not support Core Policy 5 – Gypsy, Traveller and Showpeople Needs. The burden of providing a further 121 pitches, in addition to the 128 already in use, will create a concentration in Basildon which could impact on social cohesion. The Borough Council must insist that neighbouring authorities make a reasonable contribution to this need.
Question 8
Do you have any more comments?
Any new housing in Billericay and an accompanying increase in traffic will require road improvements.
Parking facilities in Billericay are inadequate and will not support any significant increase in population. Consideration should be given to multi-level expansion of the station car park in Radford Way and the Borough Council car park in Radford Crescent.
As well as the car park, there should be a plan for the Radford Way employment area, making the approach from station to town centre more attractive and welcoming and improving the Stock Road junction to reduce congestion.
Public transport improvements could partially alleviate these problems, but there is concern over limited commuter capacity on the railway. Trains at peak times to London are full by the time they arrive at Billericay station, and proposed housing developments down the line will exacerbate the problem. The introduction of Crossrail in 2018 may result in even greater traffic to Shenfield from the east.
Question 9
Do you have any comments on the evidence base? Please give reasons why.
The Billericay Design Statement is not included as an evidence base, despite being the most comprehensive consultation of Billericay residents’ opinions on the future of the town. The Design Statement should be adopted as an SPD within the Local Plan.
The documents comprising the evidence base have been prepared by a variety of sources. Unfortunately, there is little consistency or correlation between site references used in the various documents. This makes it difficult to track analysis of the suitability of development sites under consideration.
Question 10
Do you have any comments on the Service Impact Assessment, Sustainability
Appraisal/Strategic Environmental Assessment and Habitat Regulations Assessment?
Please give reasons why.
It would be helpful if manageable summaries of these documents were available.
Question 11
Do you have any comments on monitoring, delivery and phasing? Please give reasons
why.
It is expected that delivery and phasing will be kept under continuous review and any changes published.