Officers back cutting affordable homes at Bellway's Shoeburyness site from 65 to 21. Councillors refused cuts twice, but Bellway can now appeal. Vote: 11 Nov.
Council officers are recommending that Bellway builds 21 affordable homes at its Shoeburyness development, down from the 65 in its legal agreement. Councillors have turned down similar requests twice. This time, Bellway can appeal if they say no.
The Planning Committee decides on Wednesday 11 November at 5pm (committee agenda). The site is land between Barge Pier Road and Ness Road, where 210 homes are being built (officers’ report).
What would change
| Version | Affordable homes | Share of site | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 agreement | 65 | 30% | In force |
| 2024 request | 21 | 10% | Refused by councillors |
| 2025 request | 32 | 15% | Refused by councillors, June 2025 |
| 2026 request | 21 | 10% | Officers recommend approval |
The 21 homes would be:
- 15 flats for affordable rent, three of them wheelchair accessible
- 6 flats for shared ownership
All 21 would be flats. The 2021 mix included 30 houses. The report’s main table and recommendation give the 15 and 6 split, although one paragraph says “8 shared ownership units”.
The other legal commitments stay the same, including the £493,000.40 secondary education contribution and £30,000 for the Campfield Road and Ness Road junction.
Why this time is different
Bellway could not appeal the 2024 and 2025 refusals. A planning agreement of this kind cannot be challenged in its first five years. This one was signed on 26 February 2021, so that period has ended.
Bellway’s covering statement makes the point directly. It says it can now go to the planning inspector if the council does not agree.
Bellway’s case and the independent check
Bellway says the problem is “structural”. It points to about £11.7m of extra construction cost from flood protection and ground conditions, on top of building costs rising faster than sale prices.
Its appraisal shows a loss in every scenario tested:
- about £7.5m with no affordable homes
- about £9.9m with 10%
- about £15m with 30%
The council’s independent consultant found a smaller deficit, £5.55m with no affordable homes, because it valued the land at £1.93m rather than £3.91m. Bellway accepted that change. The consultant still concluded that the scheme cannot viably support any affordable housing.
So officers describe the 10% as a public benefit. Bellway calls it a goodwill offer.
The consultant raised no concerns about Bellway’s other figures, including profit of 17.5% on market homes and 6% on affordable homes.
If the market improves
The deal would add a review once 75% of the market homes are sold. Any surplus above the agreed profit would be split, with 60% going to the council for affordable housing elsewhere in the city. The total is capped at what the full 30% would have cost.
The consultant’s tests suggest the scheme could make a surplus in two cases:
- costs fall by at least 5% and sale prices rise by 5%
- costs rise by up to 5% and sale prices rise by 10%
What objectors and the housing team said
Five representations were received. They include these arguments:
- 30% affordable housing was a key reason the scheme was approved in the first place
- the developer bought the site knowing the obligations and constraints
- accepting the change would make other planning obligations easier to erode
- affordable houses, not flats, are what is most needed
The officers’ report says these do not give a reasonable basis to refuse.
The council’s own Strategic Housing team calls the cut “a significant loss of affordable housing”, and says the lack of any affordable houses is “disappointing”. It does not object, because of the independent viability finding.
What it means for you
- If you are on the housing register: the site would provide 44 fewer affordable homes than the 65 in the 2021 agreement. The later review could only produce money for homes elsewhere.
- If you live nearby: this decision is only about the affordable housing share, not the planning permission for the 210 homes.
- To follow the meeting: the agenda page carries the papers and a webcast link. A supplementary report may be added on the morning of the meeting.
For other applications in your area, see our Southend planning applications guide.
Sources
- Planning Committee report, application 26/00809/DOV, Southend-on-Sea City Council, for 11 November 2026
- Planning Committee agenda, 11 November 2026
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