Basildon Council will call on Southend to consider how the whole of the A127 will cope with increased congestion as a result of a major housing plan.

Southend Council is in the process of creating a Local Plan which requires them to find space for up to 24,000 new homes over a 20-year period, as well as creating up to 12,000 new jobs.

Ahead of a strategic planning and infrastructure committee meeting in Basildon next week, the council has published a report which raises concerns about the plan, particularly for the way it could impact Basildon residents who use the A127.

Southend has put forward three different options for the way they could build homes to meet their targets, but Basildon says only one would work.

That option would require the creation of an entirely new settlement on green belt land to the north of Southchurch and Thorpe Bay.

This would have a “significant” impact on the road network particularly on the A127, according to the Basildon report, which stresses the need for a model that details how Southend’s plan will impact the entire length of the A127, which stretches from Southend to Rochford.

This model could be created through a wider joint strategic plan that will be produced in collaboration with local authorities across south Essex.

“Due to the potential impacts it would have on the A127, Basildon Borough Council would expect the impacts of this proposal on the strategic road network to be tested through a transport model that covers the whole length of the A127, or ideally the whole extent of the South Essex area,” the report states.

“Anything less is unlikely to effectively capture the full extent of the impacts of this proposal, and consequently fail to mitigate impacts beyond the most local ones.”

Further A127 concerns are raised in relation to tourism. Basildon claims that when looking at encouraging visitors to the seafront, Southend is focusing heavily on car-based journeys such as park and ride and this may also “exacerbate congestion on the strategic road network”.

The council says that when assessing schemes linked to tourism, Southend should be doing it with the entirety of the A127 in mind and not just on local issues.

Speaking of the Local Plan proposals, Councillor James Courtenay, cabinet member for growth said: “It highlights a number of overarching issues and questions to generate responses and help us develop possible solutions to our infrastructure-led expansion.

“These include the critical need for significant improvements to our transport infrastructure and the challenges we face to meet our housing need in an already developed area.

“This could, for example, include an outer bypass for any new urban extensions or settlements and further junction upgrade work. The report highlights that if option two or three were taken forward in the future, further work will be required to determine what road routes could be accommodated.

“We welcome the comments from Basildon Council and look forward to receiving their formal response. We are also working with them and authorities across the area to ensure we all have a joined-up approach to individual local plans as part of our wider work to collectively develop a joint strategic plan for the south Essex.”

Basildon is currently in the process of creating their own Local Plan and at the same meeting, committee members will discuss the conclusion of a public consultation that is the final step before submitting the plan to the secretary of state by the end of March.

Their plan has faced several major setbacks resulting in it being under threat of government intervention. If the council does not submit their plan by the end of March, it could mean civil servants taking over and deciding where more than 20,000 homes will be built in the borough.