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South Essex councils are working together to develop a clear view of what needs to be done to support recovery from Covid-19 and promote a prosperous and inclusive future for South Essex.

South Essex is a region of more than 800,000 people, with 33,000 businesses and 350,000 workers powering an economy in excess of £12bn. Just under one-third of the UK population are within one hour’s drive away. Together South Essex is significant on a national and international scale. We want to explore how South Essex might change over the next 30 years. What South Essex could achieve if we work together. That’s why we’ve launched the YourSaySE2050 website.

Over the next three months we will be posing a number of important questions and using a variety of tools to capture your thoughts. We are calling on everyone – from residents to businesses, visitors to voluntary sector organisations – to join the conversation. We encourage you to challenge our thinking. To tell us what’s important to you. To share your hopes for the future of South Essex. To help us focus our efforts and direct investment towards the things that matter most.

Join the conversation today. Visit www.YourSaySE2050.co.uk

Two public Zoom webinars have been set up to give residents an opportunity to find out more about the Basildon town centre masterplan and ask questions.

The Leader of Basildon Council Councillor Gavin Callaghan and the council’s Chief Executive Scott Logan will be on hand to field question following a presentation of the proposals.

The webinars will be held on Tuesday 7 July from 2.30 - 3.30pm and Thursday 9 July, 6pm - 7pm.

The draft Basildon town centre masterplan re-imagines Basildon town centre from what it is at the moment – a shopping centre – into a home for thousands of people, an attractive destination for people region-wide seeking leisure and entertainment and a creative and dynamic place to work and do business. The six-week statutory public consultation began on June 1 and concludes on Sunday 12 July.

Leader of Basildon Council Councillor Gavin Callaghan said: “Please join us for one of the webinars and help us to shape Basildon into the town you want in the future. This masterplan is like no other produced by this authority. It’s unrivalled in its ambition to totally reimagine this town. It takes into consideration the whole town centre, which we are already strategically investing in by purchasing major sites. We are putting our money where our mouth is and are happy to work with the private sector to make this town centre work for everyone.

“We’ve spent a year courting opinion of the public, private sector, landlords and leisure industry and produced an incredibly exciting masterplan. This is the plan that will shape the borough so please join us.”

Register for the Zoom webinar on the council's website at www.basildon.gov.uk/masterplan

Basildon Council and Swan Housing have teamed up to respond to a call from Government to bid for funding on capital projects to help kickstart the economy and create jobs.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick MP issued the call to Local Enterprise Partnerships (LEPs) across the country. Basildon Council and Swan Housing contributed to the overall bid through the submission of a number of potential opportunities that will support the Local Economic Growth agenda.

The projects outlined in the bid include, Pitsea swimming pool, a Youth Zone facility, Innovation Warehouse (the conversion of Basildon’s Green Centre to support businesses) and the expansion of Great Oaks car park as part of the Basildon town centre masterplan.

Leader of Basildon Council Councillor Gavin Callaghan said: “The aftermath of Covid-19 is going to be a massive challenge. The real tough times begin now but Basildon Council is working with partners and central government to invest in the future. We must not repeat the mistakes of the past – austerity is not the way forward, we have to build our way out of economic depression.”

Chairman of the Infrastructure and Inclusive Growth Committee Councillor Adele Brown said: “We have responded quickly and decisively to this opportunity and worked closely with Swan to put together a bid that meets the objectives of the funding stream.”

Deputy Chief Executive at Swan Housing Geoff Pearce added: “Swan Housing is delighted to be working in partnership with Basildon Council to bid for funding to support further local economic growth in the borough.

"We’ve been working in Basildon for over 25 years and through our Modular Housing Factory and key ongoing projects including the regeneration of Laindon Shopping Centre and the transformation of the Craylands Estate at Beechwood, we’re been working in partnership with the borough to build much needed homes, create new jobs and stimulate the local economy.

"If our bid is successful, this additional funding will enable us to accelerate both our modular housing delivery and our key projects in the borough, stimulating significant local economic growth and supporting much needed town centre regeneration.”

Projects to be considered must deliver on two overarching objectives – driving up economic growth and jobs and supporting green recovery. They must also enable the following:

The draft Basildon town centre masterplan re-imagines Basildon town centre from what it is at the moment - a shopping centre - into a home for thousands of people, an attractive destination for people region-wide seeking leisure and entertainment and a creative and dynamic place to work and do business.

The six-week statutory public consultation will be conducted online and make use of virtual technologies to reach members of the public, businesses and potential investors.

Leader of Basildon Council Councillor Gavin Callaghan said: "This masterplan is like no other produced by this authority. It's unrivalled in its ambition to totally re-imagine this town. It takes into consideration the whole town centre, which we are already strategically investing in by purchasing major sites. We are putting our money where our mouth is and are happy to work with the private sector to make this town centre work for everyone.

"We've spent a year courting opinion of the public, private sector, landlords and leisure industry and produced an incredibly exciting masterplan. This is the plan that will shape the borough."

The masterplan includes establishing a night-time economy in the heart of the town, up to 4,000 new homes, retail, leisure and a major flexible convention centre and multi-use arena space. This will complement and support the new cinema and college and create a multi-use town centre.