A meeting to discuss Basildon's Local Plan will be held at Basildon Sporting Village to ensure that everyone who wants to attend can.

The meeting held on March 13 had to be adjourned after hundreds of residents tried to attend - with many queuing outside after they couldn't get in.

The Basildon Sporting Village is the largest available venue in the borough, according to the council.

In addition the council is working to put in place a live webcast of the meeting so that those who can’t be there can still follow the debates and discussion.

You will be able to access the webcast from the council’s website www.basildon.gov.uk

The meeting, which will start at 7pm, is to recommend a Local Plan to Council. Council will make the final decision on the plan at its meeting on Thursday 22 March, which will also be held at the Basildon Sporting Village and will start at 7.30pm.

The Local Plan will set out the Council’s strategy for development and growth in Basildon borough up to 2034 and the planning policies that will be applied in assessing planning applications during that period. It will determine what will be built where.

Cllr Linda Allport-Hodge, chairman of the Infrastructure, Growth and Development Committee, said: "I would like to thank committee members for their diligence over the past 10 months. The work of the committee has been extremely complex.

"We have had a maximum of 30-40 members of the public come along to watch previous meetings but as the plan nears completion public interest has gathered momentum which is why the Mirren Suite, which caters for 200, was used for the committee meeting last Tuesday.

“Given the level of interest I hope everyone who is interested in the Local Plan and the process will welcome the change of venue. I’m sure people can appreciate it isn’t easy to switch venues at short notice and I would like to thank Basildon’s Sporting Village and our officers for their help making this happen.

“I know people have strong feelings about some parts of the plan and I will ensure that as many residents as possible are able to come along and watch the committee or watch it via the webcast. That was always my intention as Chairman of the committee.

"It was also my intention, and still is my intention, to invite members of the audience to address the committee about their specific concerns. I am sorry we were not able to do that at the original meeting on Tuesday 13 March, but as the crowd grew it became clear that the committee meeting could not go ahead.

"I hope that on Monday we are able to have a full and reasoned discussion and come to a sensible decision for the borough that recommends a Local Plan that balances growth with the need to protect against the negative impact of urban sprawl and defend community spaces, a Local Plan that encourages the right infrastructure. We want to build communities that provide a quality of life for residents and visitors to the borough.

"This is probably the biggest decision that the council will have to make and I can assure you it is a responsibility we take very seriously and it is important that we get it right.”

The meeting of Full Council on Thursday 22 March will also take place at Basildon Sporting Village. To see the agenda and reports for next week’s meeting of the Infrastructure, Growth and Development Committee and Full Council, please visit www.basildon.gov.uk/meetings