What people want to know
Letters to the Editor and others received following the recent edition have galvanised your Chairman into action. I certainly do not agree with “Disgruntled Resident” (November) that your Editor has in anyway failed. He does his best to publish such information as he receives, works to tight deadlines and gets “The Resident” out regularly 10 times per year.“Disgruntled” seems to think that the Association is gifted with second sight in some way. We publish information about planning applications, which can sometimes be very vague, because we rely on information provided by planning applicants to Basildon District Council. Just because an application receives permission from Basildon Council doesn’t mean that the development will take place. The former “Storyteller” shop received permission for use as a restaurant, but has in fact become a music shop.
As regards the “Ivory Rooms”, the Residents’ Association submitted an objection to the proposal to permit opening from 9am to 1.30am. Planning permission for this has been refused, so there is now a license for the opening hours, but no planning permission.
The good news about empty units in Billericay High Street is that there are so few of them. Many other towns have gaping holes in their shopping frontage and are having to ask landlords to put exhibits or displays in empty shops to disguise the situation. We encourage all our members to keep shopping in Billericay. Please patronise the individual shops, not just the supermarkets. This way they may be able to stay in business. Please check the advertisers in “The Resident” before you look in Yellow Pages. There may be a local firm doing just what you need.
Another correspondent has suggested that we publish the results of some planning applications, even name and shame some occupiers who blatantly disregard the planning rules in our conservation area.
We receive a lot of complaints about A-boards in Billericay High Street. A recent count found about 40 of them. Did you know that the dark line of block paving along the High Street marks the boundary between the front of the shop’s own land and the official pavement? Clinico Dental Care have taken to padlocking their A-Board to a lamp post on the pavement causing an obstruction. A-boards behind the dark line of paving are on the shop’s own land, and are allowed. Beyond the line and they can be reported to Basildon Council.
Fly-posting. Well done Essex County Council. As fast as the proprietors of a circus on Sun Corner could get round attaching posters to railings, the Council had a man in a van going round taking them down. I saw him myself removing two of them.
I have been asked what’s going on about Sun Corner. It is owned partly by Essex County Council and Basildon District Council. Neither has any imminent plan to change anything about Sun Corner. Billericay Town Council would like it to be registered as Town Green, which would protect it from development in perpetuity, and they are working on it.
We always welcome residents with strong opinions to join our area committees and help us get things done. Please contact myself or the Editor if you would like details.
John Buchanan, Chairman. chairman@bdra.org