Altogether Brentwood Borough Council’s local plan sets out where 7,146 homes are to be built between 2016 and 2033
A housing plan mapping out where nearly more than 7,000 homes should be built across Brentwood has been passed in the face of criticism that question marks still remain.
Altogether Brentwood Borough Council’s local plan sets out where 7,146 homes are to be built between 2016 and 2033.
A total of 2,447 homes have already been designated through completions, extant permissions or windfall developments. That leaves 4,699 across a number of sites across the borough such as the development at Dunton Hills near West Horndon where it is anticipated that 1,650 homes will be built in the next 11 years.
The development, which could eventually grow to around 4,000 homes, is being envisaged in Dunton Fanns, Dunton Woods and Dunton Waters – each anchored by a primary school and small scale local facilities.
Other major allocations include 300 homes in William Hunter Way car park, 200 in the Brentwood railway station car park, and 825 on land north of Shenfield near the Mountnessing junction. The allocations in the car parks sparked specific concerns that there was not a clear strategy over car parking if the town centre car parks were developed.
Councillor Kendall, who was one of five members who voted against the plan, said health provision to meet the extra demand was also unclear.
He said at the extraordinary meeting on March 23: Our residents still haven’t got a clue where they are going to park. Is it going to be underground, overground or more multistorey car parks?
Even though 7,146 new homes over the plan period has been regarded as sound, the plan is not able to meet the identified housing requirement of 7,752 new homes, resulting in a shortfall of 606 homes over the plan period. As such the council needs to provide a clear 28 month timescale for submission of an update, from adoption of the plan.
Councillor Chris Hossack, leader of Brentwood Borough Council, said: The UK is in a housing crisis. We need growth to meet demand for houses across the UK. Planning has not progressed at the rate it should have done so we are left with this pressure where people simply don’t have places in which to live.
That is acute in Brentwood because we have a high proportion of green belt but it is also acute in Brentwood because people want to come and live here. Brentwood for many people is an aspirational place to live, he said.
He said: So we are faced with a challenge we can’t avoid that we have to grow. In order to grow you need to change and change brings an elemental of discomfort and we respect that.
