Basildon & Wickford Recorder, 19 October 2007

AN appeal by Basildon Council for two local beauty spots to be safeguarded from developers has fallen on deaf ears.
   The council asked the Government to grant green belt status to open spaces at Barn Hall, Wickford, and Dry Street, Basildon.
   However, it emerged this week the plea has been rejected.
   The move would have made it easier to turn down plans to build homes on the areas of natural beauty.
   Now developer Gleeson Homes, which owns 100-acres at Barn Hall, off Station Avenue, Wickford, will feel more confident of gaining approval for 200 homes on the site, later 
this year.
   English Partnerships is also now expected to submit revised plans for homes at Dry Street, ahead of a public inquiry about the future of the district.
   The Save Dry Street campaign was backed by 10,000 readers and convinced English Partnerships to ditch earlier plans for 12,000 houses.
   Geoff Williams, Lib Dem group leader on the council, said: "We understand it is now preparing more highway surveys and will come back with scaled-down proposals.
   "The Government has refused green belt status, but it had better be prepared for a battle."
Jacqueline Boynes, of Station Avenue, Wickford, spearheaded Wickford North Action Group's fight against the homes planned for Barn Hall. She said: "This is the worst 
possible news."
   Mr Buckley said: "Because the previous plan has expired and we do not yet have a replacement, there was no planning policy for the district and not even any green belt 
policy.
   "It meant we had to ask the Government to retain some of the old policy from the former plan, which it agreed. But we also asked it to adopt some of the new policy from the 
last plan, which would have meant green belt status for both sites. It did not agree to this."