Dumb Nimby Essex Cllrs Shoot Themselves in Head for Scrapping Local Plans as Sites Allowed on Appeal Anyway

Missing vital organs of course

Southend Echo on a site in Basildon, similar case in Castle Point this Week though I don’t have a link. The wrath of the inspectorate will soon start approaching Hertsmere and other authorities who disregard professional planning judgement and waste everyone’s time and money too. The lesson, local plans define Green Belt, if no up to date local plan you cant rely on the Green Belt to stop all housing. All you are doing is creating delay and playing a juvilinile shifting the blame game.

IT WILL be five years before Basildon Council adopts a new local plan creating “Christmas for developers” looking to build on green belt land.

Council documents reveal it expects to adopt a new local plan in the last quarter of 2027 after councillors scrapped the emerging local plan – a blueprint for 18,000 new homes – in March.

As a result, the council is likely to see many developments pushed through at appeal, effectively stripping it of planning control, according to a planning barrister.

Quoting the ruling of a recent appeal, Zack Simons, planning barrister at Landmark LC, says “ significant green belt release in Basildon is inevitable”.

His comments follow a successful appeal by developer Inland Homes.

Basildon Council had rejected the firm’s plans to bulldoze Maitland Lodge in Southend Road, Billericay, to build 47 new homes on a site identified for 20 homes in the council’s now-scrapped plan.

However, the firm was successful at appeal, with the planning inspector stating in a ruling published last week that despite the emerging local pan being scrapped, the “evidence base” and proposed allocations of the plan, are still applicable.

In short, developers have a good chance of winning appeals for developments on land identified for housing in the old local plan.

“It’s Christmas for developers in Basildon right now and will continue to be until a new plan is in place,” councillor Kerry Smith said.

“Basildon’s Green belt is up for grabs, and it’s first come first serve.

“By the time we have a new plan, most of the sites we identified in the old plan will have probably been built on already!”

Mr Simons, who acted for the Maitland Lodge developer Inland Homes during the appeal, said: “The inspector described the shortfalls in housing land supply and delivery in Basildon as ‘stark’ and affordable housing delivery as ‘abysmal’ – all, of course, the consequence of not having a plan in place for so many years.