A LONG-awaited new home development on a former Basildon car park is now set to progress after more than £11million of funding has been agreed.

Basildon Council-owned building firm Sempra Homes is set to build the 105 affordable homes, including 70 council properties, on the former car park 14 off Laindon Link, in Basildon. 

Basildon Council and Sempra Homes have received £7,684,669 in grant funding from Homes England and previously secured £2.5million in Brown Infrastructure Land funding, and £1.4million from the Brownfield Land Release Fund.

The council's construction firm has previously planned 233 homes in a ten-storey block, but went back to the drawing board following public backlash in the community. A larger proposal for the former car park was also scrapped back in 2021, after the Tories took overcontrol of the council. The site has remained unused for over a decade, attracting anti-social behaviour, nuisance and flytipping.

It comes as the housing building firm is working on constructing 166 new "affordable" and private sale homes across three developments. The developments also include the Broadmayne development – with 18 homes and a three-storey block of 15 flats built on green land bordering Church Road and Broadmayne. The firm is also behind the new Tyefields development, which will offer 26 homes on green space off Tyefields, Pitsea.

Cllr Gavin Callaghan, Labour leader of Basildon Council, said: "The government's decision to award Basildon £11 million to build affordable homes, of which 70 will be brand new council homes, shows that they understand how ambitious we are in Basildon to build the homes our public desperately need.

 "We are already working to make sure that local Basildon businesses are in the supply chain to build these homes and that they are for local Basildon residents who want to continue to build their lives in our borough. This is the first of many exciting housing schemes that we have coming forward and we are excited to be working in partnership with the Government wherever possible, to get new homes built."

Melanie Keys, service manager at Sempra Homes said: "This funding is the result of an unwavering commitment by all partners to bring forward this development, which will help address the acute need for housing locally, and also act as a catalyst for economic growth in the town centre, increasing footfall, creating inclusive, thriving, communities for generations to come."

Sempra Homes has entered into contract with The Hill Group to construct the homes.