360 new jobs in Eastgate revamp

Developers Sovereign Centros and Leslie Jones Architecture have unveiled their bold new plans for the heart of Basildon.

In its vision - now out for public consultation - the plans would see the number of shops at Eastgate Centre hugely scaled back.

They would be replaced with a “multi-use space” which includes retail, workplaces, restaurants, cafes and leisure facilities.

The huge plans to transform Basildon town centre also include proposals for 2,800 homes in a safe, green community.

The shopping centre building will remain untouched, but new blocks of flats will be built to the east.

The developers say the homes, and additional residents, could bring £67 million a year into the town to boost Basildon’s economy.

But historian Vin Harrop criticised the plans and added they could be very different from architect drawings.

He said: “Architect drawings can say anything.

“They’re going to make Brooke House look miniature. I think we have got to be a bit more adventurous, and I don’t see anything that’s more adventurous.

“It all looks good on paper, but I don’t know if it will work. I expect the rents will be high.

“I don’t want to see people moving out of they can’t pay the rent.

“It will be like a desert.”

The plans would emphasise more greenery in the Southernhay areas, with ground floor flats having their own garden spaces and “ample” landscaping.

The “Eastern Gardens” area to the east will have nine acres of green space, with 3,000 trees, and the 2,800 homes would cater for people buying their first home, through to larger family units, elderly housing and assisted living.

A developers’ spokesman said: “The time is right for the Eastgate Quarter proposals to be brought forward as Basildon moves towards a bright, sustainable future.”

Visit eastgateconsultation.co.uk.