Wates Way is a prime site for redevelopment in Brentwood. Near the town centre,
it is not well placed as an industrial estate. In the Local Development Plan -
Preferred Options, which has recently been consulted on by the Council, it is
highlighted as a site for residential development. With the need for new housing
in the town, especially smaller units for new home-makers, Wates Way would be
ideal for people who want the convenience of being able to access our bustling
High Street and the surrounding businesses.
There can be no doubt there would be good demand for high quality housing in
this area. At last the housing market has started to pick up. The government's
Help to Buy scheme has enabled a lot of first-time buyers to enter the market,
which was log-jammed now the banks require a hefty deposit from new buyers. Our
own shared equity scheme will also help new home-makers find a place of their
own. I think we are a long way from any sort of housing bubble, and as new
first-time buyers emerge, house builders will respond so long as they can find
the sites to develop. That is why the new planning framework, or NPPF, put out
by the government in March 2012, is so important to towns like Brentwood. It
gives us the options to find the right developments to keep Brentwood thriving,
and a great place to live and work.
Roger Hirst
Deputy Leader
Brentwood Conservative Group