Basildon (district)

The Basildon district is a local government district in south Essex in the East of England, centred around the town of Basildon.

The district was formed under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974 by from the Basildon Urban District along with the part of Thurrock Urban District within Basildon New Town.

Basildon district council

The District Council is Conservative dominated. Following the May 2008 elections, it has a make up of 29 Conservative, 10 Labour and 3 Liberal Democrat councillors. [cite web | title = Your Councillors | publisher = basildon.gov.uk | month = October | year = 2006 | url = http://www.basildonmeetings.info/mgMemberIndex.asp
format = HTML | accessdate = 2006-10-23]

Parish and town councils

There are seven town and parish councils at present. They cover one quarter of the district and are: [cite web | title = Parish Councillors | publisher = basildon.gov.uk | month = October | year = 2006 | url = http://www.basildon.gov.uk/80256B6E0050BA8F/vWeb/wpEFEN5UXEU8
format = HTML | accessdate = 2006-10-23]

*Billericay Town Council
*Great Burstead & South Green Parish Council
*Little Burstead Parish Council
*Ramsden Bellhouse Parish Council
*Ramsden Crays Parish Council
*Noak Bridge Parish Council
*Shotgate Parish Council

Boundaries

To the north it borders the Borough of Chelmsford, to the east it borders the District of Rochford district, to the south east the Borough of Castle Point and to the west it borders the Borough of Brentwood. To the south the district has a boundary with the unitary authority of Thurrock.

Geography

The district has three main population centres. The towns of Billericay and Wickford are two of the areas which both have surrounding villages. Occasional proposals have been made to move Billericay and Wickford to other districts, leaving Basildon more focused on the new town.LGCE. "Final Recommendations on the Future Local Government of: Basildon & Thurrock, Blackburn & Blackpool, Broxtowe, Gedling & Rushcliffe, Dartford & Gravesham, Gillingham & Rochester Upon Medway, Exeter, Gloucester, Halton & Warrington, Huntingdonshire & Peterborough, Northampton, Norwich, Spelthorne and the Wrekin." December 1995.]

The other, largest, population centre is commonly referred to as Basildon and comprises three original settlements: Laindon, Basildon and Pitsea (from east to west) which have merged with other minor settlements to form the New Town, which is a continuous urban area.

The remaining land, approximately half of the district is designated as green belt, has several sites of special scientific interest. Two are around Billericay and the remainder are to the south of Basildon New Town. There are also wildlife areas of varying sizes around most of the district, except in the East.

The source of the River Crouch is in the district. The river runs across the district, through Wickford before it leaves it.

The district is linked well by road and rail with significant surrounding destinations, including London.

In the west of the Basildon district, the Dunton Plotlands is an area of small plots of land used as weekend cottages or smallholdings inhabited during the mid twentieth century.

List of settlements

It contains the towns of:
* Basildon (the administrative headquarters)
** Laindon
** Langdon Hills
** Pitsea
* Billericay
* Wickford

Villages within the district are:
* Bowers Gifford
* Crays Hill
* Great Burstead
* Little Burstead
* North Benfleet
* Ramsden Bellhouse

Regeneration Plans

Basildon District is a prosperous business location and has in recent years seen significant inward investment and jobs growth. Throughout Basildon District there are major developments planned estimated to total nearly £2 billion. These include:

*The regeneration of Basildon, Wickford, Pitsea and Laindon Town Centres
*A new Sporting Village and improvements to playing pitches and sports facilities throughout the District to make Basildon the Centre for Sport in South Essex. The sporting village is expected in 2010, and is being highly sought after as a Olympic training base for one the top teams, including the Russians. Its combined benefits, of having some of the top facilities so close to London, including one of the few Olympic (50m) size pools in the UK, will make it a true asset to whatever team(s) use it.
*The creation of a health and education research centre near Basildon and Thurrock University Hospital and FE College
*Investment in the Basildon Enterprise Corridor, the largest business area in the Thames Gateway outside of London, home to 45,000 jobs and over 5,000 businesses, including Ford, Selex, Visteon, Case New Holland, First Data Europe, International Financial Services Limited, RBS, and Starbucks
*The creation of one of the largest wetland nature reserves in Europe in the Thames Marshes by the RSPB, Land Restoration Trust, Basildon District Council and Veolia
*A strategic review of the District's housing, with investment in housing estates such as Craylands, Five Links and Felmores to create first class places to live

Coordinating and promoting this programme of investment is the Basildon Renaissance Partnership which was set up in 2003 by Basildon District Council. Its partners also include the East Of England Development Agency, English Partnerships, Essex County Council, and the Thames Gateway South Essex Partnership with support from the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Transport

The district is connected to London and Southend via two train operators: c2c and National Express East Anglia. The route operated by c2c is the London, Tilbury and Southend Railway. Three principal stations of the railway line are in the district: Basildon railway station, Laindon railway station and Pitsea railway station

The former Great Eastern service (now National Express East Anglia) operates on the Shenfield to Southend Line. Trains stop at Billericay and Wickford railway station. At Wickford, the Crouch Valley Line diverges from the Shenfield to Southend line.

Three primary routes are within the district. The A127 goes through its centre, the A13 goes through the south-east at Pitsea. Both these promary routes connect the district with Greater London and Southend-on-Sea. At Bowers Gifford at a terminus of the A13's primary status there is a junction with the beginning of primary status for the A130 with runs along a small section of the western boundary of the district. The A130 connects the district with Chelmsford. The A129 is the major road link between Billericay and Wickford, which are linked via A-Roads to the uraban area of Basilon, Pitsea and Laindon by the A176 and the A132, respectively.

References

External links

* [http://basildon.gov.uk/ Basildon District Home Page]
* [http://basildonrenaissance.com Basildon Renaissance Partnership]