§ Mr. Amessasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many more houses need to be built up to 1990 under current plans for Basildon.
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§ Sir George YoungThe Essex structure plan makes provision for the construction of 9,000 houses by all agencies in the period 1977 to 1991 within the new town designated area. It is for the county council to monitor progress towards this figure.
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§ Mr. Amessasked the Secretary of State for the Environment how many more houses are scheduled to be built in the south-west part of Basildon.
§ Sir George YoungThree major areas in the southwest part of Basildon which are designated for housing in the new town master plan remain undeveloped. These are:
- Langdon Hills North—13 hectares
- Great Berry—24 hectares
- Dunton Hills—30 hectares
The Secretary of State has approved, under section 7(1) of the New Towns Act 1981, the Development Corporation's proposals for the development of Langdon Hills and Great Berry. The corporation's proposals for Dunton Hills are currently before him for decision. The total number of houses built in these three areas, if all are approved, will be affected by private developers' judgments of what sorts of housing are suited to prevailing market conditions.
§ Mr. Amessasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what is the present population of Basildon; and what is the target population.
§ Sir George YoungThe estimated population of the Basildon new town designated area at 31 March 1983 given by the Development Corporation in its annual report for 1982–83 was 98,640. There is no target population for the new town in the sense of a figure to be achieved before the Development Corporation is dissolved. The population of the new town designated area after development of all land allocated for housing on the 1977 master plan, was forecast at that time at about 130,000. The actual figure will depend on occupancy rates, which are falling.