Southend’s Green Belt is under mortal threat. The Labour Government, supported by our Labour and Lib Dem-run council and our Labour MPs, are cooking up plans to build between 46,000 and 60,000 new homes across Southend, Castle Point, Canvey and Rochford.
This includes a 10,000-home new town north of Bournes Green Chase and a 2,500-home new village on the Salvation Army fields – both pristine Metropolitan Green Belt. If we don’t act, the character of Southend and Leigh-on-Sea will be changed forever.
Fighting Green Belt Plans
Alongside Conservative councillors and campaigners, I have been fighting against these proposals ever since the Labour Government doubled down on their commitment to build 1.5 million new homes by re-designating parts of the Green Belt as “Grey Belt”. Homes that will not go to local people addressing the housing issues we have in Southend, but will destroy our environment and our communities.
This is the reason local authorities like Southend, Rochford and Castle Point have been given outrageously high housing targets, not tailored to local need.
Development on this scale, far beyond local need, would be catastrophic for our City, for the environment, for our internationally protected foreshore, for water quality, and for our well-being. We owe it to our children and our grandchildren not to let this happen.
Adding 60,000 homes means 145,000 more people and around 40,000 new cars. Essential services like electricity, sewage, gas, road capacity and water could not cope. Our GP surgeries, hospitals, dentists and schools are already full to overflowing. Just one 10,000-home new town would require an entirely new sewage system, 12 to 15 new GPs, 4 to 5 new primary schools, 2 to 3 new secondary schools, plus new roads, leisure facilities and churches. The cost would run to billions, not millions.
Salvation Army Fields Threatened
The Salvation Army fields are not safe despite the successful Conservative campaign to keep them out of the Castle Point Draft Local Plan. There is a high risk that the draft plan will be declared “unsound” as it falls 7,824 homes short of the 14,020 Government target. This would give Angela Rayner full powers to intervene and designate the site suitable for building, allowing developers to swoop.
Any Southend resident can take part in the Castle Point Pre-submission Local Plan Consultation. Pages 70 & 71 are about the Salvation Army fields and it is vital we stress the immense heritage value of Hadleigh Castle, the dangers of urban sprawl, transport links, lack of healthcare, farmland, wildlife, and the impact on local character.
Labour’s Plans Must Be Stopped
Deputy Prime Minister, Angela Rayner, has made it clear she intends to build on the Green Belt, yet we have seen no intervention from our Labour MPs in Parliament against the proposals at Bournes Green Chase or the Salvation Army Fields.
By contrast, the Rt Hon Mark Francois, the Conservative MP for Rayleigh and Wickford, called a debate on this issue. Where were Southend’s two Labour MPs? At the very least they could have attended, spoken up and supported the campaign.
We must also stop Labour and Liberal Democrats’ plan to build a huge new town north of Bournes Green Chase. My Conservative colleague in West Shoebury, Cllr James Moyies, unearthed this secret submission. Unbelievably, the Lab-Lib Dem-run council submitted a proposal to the New Towns Taskforce the very day after voting in council not to build there.
Brownfield First, Not Green Belt
Of course, we do need to build more houses so that our children and grandchildren have somewhere to live but the way to do this is through a proper local plan developing on brownfield sites first. Council officers have identified around 9,500 new homes that could be delivered across Southend.
The fact that the Labour-led administration chose to propose a greater number, in addition to expressing interest to the New Towns Task Force, tells you all you need to know about their priorities.
Meanwhile, just like in Castle Point, the Southend Local Plan is now out for consultation and includes the question on whether to develop a new neighbourhood north of Bournes Green Chase.
We must all engage and give our view. I don’t know about you, but my answer is a very clear: “NO, NO, NO!”
To comment, either use the online consultation or send your views directly to the Council by email or post. Make sure your objections are counted.
By Anna Firth
Former MP for Southend West & Leigh