On 31st July, Basildon's planning committee approved this block
of flats, which they accept is not suitable for families! 
Is this what you want in Wickford? (It's what you're going to get)
Proposed new building on Woodlands Road 07/00744/FULL This was PASSED

Woodlands Road leads from the bottom of London Road to the Market, behind Hall's Corner. In the early 1900s, Thomas Reed had a foundry and smithy, and this area was known as Foundry Corner; there is a photo on page 47 of Judith William's book, A History of Wickford. The site today is an eyesore, containing an unoccupied second hand warehouse. 

Planning application 06/01299/FULL from Child's Property, was for a new 4 storey building containing 24 flats and 3 retail units with 24 parking spaces. This application was turned down on 16 January 2007 by seven votes to one, on the grounds of: 

• over-development of the site by reason of over intensification, and 

• unsatisfactory layout by reason of poor design.

Earlier proposal for new building on Woodlands Road 06/01299/FULL This was REFUSED.

A revised application was submitted, 07/00744/FULL, shown in the top picture, also for 24 flats in a 4 storey block, with 2 commercial units. Despite being the same size and footprint as the earlier one, the similar argument of over-development was not accepted by the majority of the planning committee on 31st July, and this time it was approved, by five votes to one. 

Read what the Echo said on 2nd August 2007 'Monstrous' plans for Wickford, and the accompanying article, Campaigners told: homes mean cash

The Wickford Action Group view
The WAG representative at the second planning meeting on 31st July spoke against the application, on the grounds that:

• it is yet another block of flats in the town centre area over and above those already in the Masterplan, and yet offers none of the benefits that the Master Plan promises,  

• it has only 24 parking spaces for the 24 flats, 20 of which are two bedroom, and none for the two commercial units. This in an area that is already badly served by parking facilities.

• It is over-development, with 240 units per hectare, well over the 30-50 recommended. This was enough to reject the virtually identical earlier application.

• the design is poor, it looks like a prison,

• with 24 flats, it is just under the 25 and thereby avoids having to contribute to affordable housing or the town's infrastructure.

• there is no contribution for school places, surprisingly supported by the planning officers. (Mrs Buckley stated that one local school is downsizing - does anyone know if this is correct?)

Just about everyone agrees that the derelict site needs improvement, but as Councillor Gordon said at the planning meeting "... but is flats, flats and more flats the way to go? I don't want to see people at future planning meetings saying about us "look what a mess they made of the planning" and then go on to approve the first proposal that comes along. Yes, we should do something, but lets choose something better than this"  Needless to say, Councillor Gordon was outvoted, and all the other councillors voted for it, and thereby consigned yet another block of flats on the people of Wickford.

The Planning Department's recommendation was to approve the application, even though on the one hand they say that 1 parking space per flat is sufficient, they then go on to say 'the limited car parking will not provide attractive family accommodation'. 

By approving this application, the council have imposed a block
of flats on Wickford that they accept is not suitable for families.