Public consultation launched on plans to build new homes in Crays Hill

INTRODUCTION

This website introduces Higgins Homes and explains their plans to deliver up to 115 homes on land at Southlands, Gardiners Lane North, Crays Hill.

The emerging development proposal provides an opportunity to deliver homes in a desirable location.

Higgins Homes invites local people to participate in their public consultation and provide feedback on the concepts, initial designs and the site layout.

All feedback received will be considered as part of the design process before an outline planning application is submitted to Basildon Council this year.

The location itself has been identified by Basildon Council as a potential location for housing as per the initial designation in H27 of the Regulation 18 Draft Local Plan.

Should planning permission be granted, Higgins Homes will deliver the scheme via their contracting arm, Higgins Partnerships, which underscores their commitment to quality and to leaving a legacy for years to come.

OVERVIEW OF THE EMERGING PROPOSAL

  • A mix of 115 new homes, and some centrally located low-rise apartments.

  • The proposal includes 50% affordable homes for local people.

  • The land has been identified as ‘Grey Belt’ and adheres to technical planning policy considerations, such as the golden rules.

  • Provision of a new open space and play equipment for the entire community to enjoy.

  • The site is relatively unconstrained; it is not in any flood zones, and it has no protected trees or endangered habitats.

INTRODUCING HIGGINS HOMES

  • Higgins Homes is the private housing development arm of the family-owned Higgins Group, which was founded in 1961.

  • The company builds new homes across London & the Home Counties, focusing on quality, thoughtful design, and meeting customer needs.

  • Higgins Homes is committed to environmental stewardship and ensuring that its developments adhere to high-quality standards

SITE CONTEXT

The site has been identified as a potential location for residential development and is included in H27 of Basildon Council’s Draft Local Plan 2023-2043 (Regulation 18) Consultation.

WHY BUILD HERE?

Under current planning guidelines, Basildon Council is required to deliver more than 27,000 new homes. This includes just under 17,000 new homes on sites within the Green Belt. As such, development sites like these will help meet that target.

IS THE SITE GREEN BELT OR GREY BELT?

  • In essence, the purpose of the Green Belt is to prevent urban sprawl and keep large built-up areas separate.

  • In 2024, the Government introduced the concept of ‘Grey Belt’ land. This refers to areas within the Green Belt that make a limited contribution to these core purposes.

  • Development on Grey Belt land must meet the Government’s ‘golden rules’ to ensure clear benefits for the local community are delivered.

  • These include providing affordable housing, publicly accessible green space, and improvements to local infrastructure.

  • The site has been deemed as Grey Belt because it does not merge with any existing large built-up areas and does not harm the historic nature of existing towns.

HOUSING

  • The scheme seeks to provide up to 115 energy-efficient new homes. It will include 50% affordable properties, prioritising local people on Basildon Council’s housing waiting list, providing an opportunity for people to remain in the area they know.

  • The emerging housing mix will include one- to five-bedroom traditionally designed houses, with a focus on three- and four-bedroom properties. The scheme excludes high-rise apartments.

HIGHWAYS

  • The team is working closely with Essex Highways to ensure the surrounding road network can accommodate any additional traffic, and, where necessary, to put in place mitigation measures to upgrade the local road network.

  • At this stage of the planning process, Essex Highways has raised no objection to the principle of residential development in this location. They state that the existing road network can absorb additional car usage associated with this scheme.

  • Parking provision will be in line with Essex County Council Parking Standards, and will be a mix of on-plot, on-street, and visitor parking to support a balanced streetscape.

DRAINAGE

  • The design of the emerging proposal is underpinned by a drainage strategy that includes permeable surfaces and attenuation basins to control surface water runoff across the site.

  • The drainage strategy is engineered to cope with a one-in￾one-hundred-year storm event plus climate change.

LANDSCAPING

  • The scheme will include on-site ecological enhancements and seek to deliver a significant level of biodiversity net gain in accordance with policy (at least 10%).

  • Large green corridors and buffer zones are used to enhance this existing Grey Belt site.

CHARACTER, DESIGN AND LAYOUT

  • Finc Architects are an award-winning architectural practice based in Chelmsford that has been appointed by Higgins Homes to prepare proposals and design the scheme.

  • As a starting point, Finc has used the existing character of the area to inform the emerging proposal, with initial designs as shown in the sketch below.

THE MASTERPLAN