Following the appeal by Gleeson Homes Ltd and Gladedale Group Ltd against Basildon Council’s rejection of their planning application to build at Barn Hall, the Planning Inspector conducted a public inquiry lasting four days at the end of June in the Council’s offices in the Basildon Centre. He also made a site visit to the two fields that Gleesons and Gladedale wish to build on first, plus the other land that they own up to and beyond Waverley Crescent; and saw urban regeneration projects underway in Wickford town centre under the Masterplan and in Basildon town centre. Evidence was given to the public inquiry by the consultants acting for the appellants (Gleesons & Gladedale) and by Basildon Council, defending their refusal of planning permission - both of whom were represented by barristers; and, also, by WNGAG and other local residents - all of whom spoke strongly against allowing any development on the green fields of Barn Hall.

The appellants’ main arguments for development were:

• housing delivery in Basildon district is falling short of housing needs - in particular, an up-to-date 5-year supply of deliverable sites cannot be demonstrated;
• a steady supply of housing needs a steady supply of land and this cannot be met without using some greenfield sites;
• Barn Hall is not good quality agricultural land;
• neither are there any special traffic, ecological, flooding or drainage reasons to save it;
• the development will supply sustainable, family homes - including 35% affordable housing - which will not compete with the apartments being built in Wickford town centre, and whose residents will use nearby train and bus services to work, and cycle or walk to the shops, rather than use cars;
• financial contributions, which the developers will make, will lead to improvements to the Station Avenue/High Street junction and ease traffic congestion in Station Avenue and Wickford town centre;
• too much weight should not be attached to the Council’s legal argument that, before development at Barn Hall can take place, a review of saved policy BAS 3 in the Basildon Local Plan 1998 is required - particularly given the delay in reviewing that Plan - and that the Council’s argument is outweighed by National Planning Policy in PPS 3.

The Council’s main arguments against any development at Barn Hall were:

• it would be in breach of saved policy BAS 3 in the Basildon Local Development Plan 1998 in that, as an area of Special Reserve, it should not be brought forward for development until that Plan has been reviewed and Barn Hall (and other sites) have had their suitability for housing tested through the Local Development Framework (LDF) process - a position which is re-inforced by national policy advice in PPG 2;
• until that happens, policy BAS 3 means that “there will be a presumption against development other than that normally allowed in the Green Belt”;
• the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government has recently confirmed that it is appropriate to test the suitability of areas of Special Reserve for future housing as part of the Local Development Framework process;
• the Council is not solely to blame for the delay in reviewing its 1998 Local Development Plan. The Planning Inspectorate could not supply an Inspector for the necessary inquiry in 2006; policy and regulatory requirements have changed; and 80% of local authorities - not just Basildon Council - have not met the LDF timescale;
• there is a shortfall of something less than a year in the 5-year housing supply as Basildon Council has an identified supply of 4.17 years - more than ample to allow house builders to bring forward completions at the reduced rates that they themselves are choosing to do in the light of the downturn in the housing market and the economy generally;
• allowing this appeal would only increase supply from 4.17 to 4.36 years - effectively about 3 months - and does not justify over-riding the legal requirements in the above policies and it would also set a precedent that other developers could exploit to, again, overcome those planning policies;
• the main engine for the delivery of increased housing in the district is via urban renewal/regeneration, eg. Wickford and Basildon town centres;
• expanding Wickford into the surrounding countryside on a greenfield site at Barn Hall will not support urban regeneration;
• Barn Hall is an area of accessible countryside, enjoyed by local residents, and has a potential food production role as agricultural land; and should not be built upon until there has been a full comparison of all alternative sites and full community involvement under the LDF process.

That’s it! There are strong, legal arguments on both sides and it would not be sensible to give a view on the likely outcome. WNGAG and Basildon Council have both done all they can to defend Barn Hall from development by Gleeson Homes Ltd and Gladedale Group Ltd (or whoever they sell the land on to, at considerable profit, if they win). We must now all wait for the Planning Inspector’s recommendation and Hazel Blear’s decision as the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government - expected by the end of October 2008.

On 23 June 2008 - the day before the public inquiry being conducted by the Planning Inspector in the Council’s offices in the Basildon Centre - members of the Wickford North Green Action Group and their supporters travelled to Westminster in London and, together with John Baron MP, presented the petition containing 3,521 signatures to the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Hazel Blears. She will receive the Planning Inspector’s recommendation and make the final decision which will determine the fate of Barn Hall - expected to be by the end of October 2008.



The event was filmed and shown by GMTV, reported in the local papers, and John Baron MP issued a press release which said:

“Local democracy must prevail. Residents, local councillors and I are united in our wish to preserve this countryside for the benefit of local people. Let us now hope the Government listens, for the petition clearly illustrates the strength of local opinion which should override the wishes of politicians and bureaucrats sitting in London.”

WNGAG take the opportunity to thank all those who signed our petition and, indeed, all those who have supported us so enthusiastically in our fight to save Barn Hall over the last two years.