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About the project
Sanctuary is delivering the regeneration of Laindon town centre in Basildon, Essex.
We’re working with local residents and businesses to create a vibrant community hub for everyone to enjoy.
The scheme will deliver new high-quality homes. A new Lidl has been built and further commercial units will be provided. Public spaces will be provided to house the Laindon War Memorial and fountain.
Sanctuary took over Swan Housing Association in February 2023 and will be delivering this regeneration, which had previously stalled when Swan encountered financial difficulties.
Project Updates
Sanctuary to submit new plans for Laindon
Sanctuary will be submitting revised plans for its regeneration of Laindon town centre.
The new plans are required by Basildon Council following a recent decision by the NHS not to move into a new integrated medical centre on the site.
Sanctuary remains fully committed to delivering the Laindon regeneration with work continuing on site. The long-awaited new Lidl supermarket has just opened, while the existing office building on the site, which was no longer viable in its current form, has also been demolished in preparation for the new development.
David Soothill, Director of Development at Sanctuary, said: “We have already made significant progress in Laindon, with around £7 million invested in ongoing highways and infrastructure work and the new Lidl supermarket completed. This is the anchor for the revitalised Laindon High Street, including more new retail units, and we are delighted with the progress that has been made on this element of the scheme.
“We are disappointed that the NHS has chosen not to take up the option to take forward the new integrated medical centre and remain in their current site. This decision does mean a material change for the scheme, and the need for a new planning application.
“While we remain open to discussing further options with the NHS, we do not want to delay the overall scheme so we will continue to progress on site whilst our new application is developed and awaiting approval.
“We remain fully committed to delivering this important project for the people of Laindon. We recognise how vital this site is locally, and will use this opportunity to ensure our plans meet the needs and aspirations of the surrounding community.”
A council spokesperson added: “The council welcomes the ongoing commitment to develop and invest in Laindon. The opening of the new Lidl store is a great step forward in creating a successful revitalised town centre. We understand that the NHS cannot be part of the current plans but remain an important part of the local community and we will continue to work with Sanctuary to develop and improve Laindon for everyone.”
Sanctuary will hold local consultation events over the coming months before submitting a new planning application in the Summer.
Roadworks
The Laindon High Road - junctions with New Century Road, Worthing Road, Manor Road, and Danacre – will be impacted by roadworks for a fortnight starting from the end of November. These works are necessary to improve road conditions and upgrade infrastructure. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.
Road closures will be in place on the following dates and times:
6pm Sunday 30 November – 5.30am Monday 1 December
Monday 1 December – Saturday 6 December – overnight between 9pm and 5.30am
6pm Sunday 7 December – 5.30am Monday 8 December
Monday 8 December – Friday 12 December – overnight between 9pm and 5.30am
Temporary traffic controls and detours may be in place, so please allow extra travel time.
While access will be maintained to properties there may be brief periods where access is restricted, although diversions will be in place for road users.
Some noise may be experienced during these work hours. We will aim to minimise disruption.
We were delighted to once again be supporting the Laindon community at the annual Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial.
Local MP Richard Holden and councillors will be joining residents, along with representatives from Sanctuary for the event. It takes place on Sunday 9 November at 3pm.
We will by laying a wreath and providing hot drinks and refreshments following the service.
Roadworks
The Laindon High Road – junctions with New Century Road, Worthing Road and Manor Road – will be impacted by roadworks for a week during October. These works are necessary to improve road conditions and upgrade infrastructure. We appreciate your patience and understanding during this time.
The road will be closed on the following dates and times:
Sunday 12 October – 6pm – 5.30am Monday 13 October
Monday 13 October to Saturday 18 October – 9pm to 5.30am
Sunday 19 October – 6pm to 5.30am Monday 20 October.
Temporary traffic controls and detours may be in place, so please allow extra travel time.
While access will be maintained to properties, there may be brief periods where access is restricted although diversions will be in place for road users.
Some noise may be experienced during these work hours. We will aim to minimise disruption.
Office block demolition to begin on Laindon regeneration
Demolition of the existing office block on the Laindon regeneration site is set to begin next week.
Sanctuary plans to start set-up from Monday (14 July) before erecting scaffolding on the block.
Work will continue to remove the building and is expected to take around 16 weeks to complete, clearing the area for future development.
Dave Soothill, Sanctuary Development Director – National, said: “As the current building is unsuitable for developing into residential housing, the demolition will allow us to look at our options for this part of the site so we can maximise the space for the benefit of the community.”
Highway works continue on the project and Lidl started construction of its new store last month. Along with the new store, the project will deliver more than 200 affordable homes, new local shops, and new public spaces for the Laindon War Memorial and Fountain.
Lidl has started construction of its new store on High Road forming the core of a brand-new high street for Laindon. The hotly-anticipated supermarket will enhance the discounters offering in the local area, delivering a store 40% larger than its current one on Manor Road.
The new store will continue to provide households access to Lidl’s award-winning instore bakery and fan-favourite Middle of Lidl. In addition to the larger floor plan, the new store will also have increased car parking spaces including rapid electric vehicle chargers and feature solar panels on the roof to help power the store. In a boost for the local economy, the multi-million pound investment will also retain existing colleagues.
Andrew Hodgkinson, Regional Head of Property at Lidl GB, said: “We’re incredibly excited to be a step closer to delivering our improved offering to Laindon. We know that many will be delighted with the news today after patiently waiting for this development. Thank you to everyone who has supported us in our journey, we can’t wait to welcome you through the doors of our new store which are on track to open early next year.”
Dave Soothill, Sanctuary Development Director – National, added: “This is yet another important milestone in the Laindon regeneration project. We understand the importance of bringing a new Lidl to the site and look forward to seeing the supermarket take shape over the coming months.”
The latest stage in the Laindon regeneration project is set to take place with the demolition of the existing site office block.
Sanctuary has announced plans to remove the building.
Work is set to start in early July and will take around 16 weeks to complete, clearing the area for future development.
Dave Soothill, Sanctuary Development Director – National, said: “We have faced a number of challenges to progress this project and continue to work through them. Following a full review of this building, the existing concrete frame and cladding that was constructed is unsuitable for developing into residential housing so needs to be demolished.
“This is a positive step forward that will allow us to consider our options for this part of the site so we can develop plans that will benefit the whole community.
“We are committed to delivering the Laindon regeneration and our plans remain on track.”
Highway works continue on the project which will deliver more than 200 affordable homes, a new larger Lidl and 15 local shops, along with new public spaces for the Laindon War Memorial and Fountain.
Laindon Bench Project
We are delighted to be supporting the Laindon Bench Project. The community art project is asking members of the community to take self-portraits on a ‘friendship bench’ touring schools and community venues across Laindon.
The portraits will be displayed in a special exhibition on the hoardings at Sanctuary’s development site later this month.
Read more about the project and our support.
Remembrance Sunday
We were delighted to once again support the Laindon community as they gathered for their annual Act of Remembrance at the War Memorial.
This year saw an excellent turnout to mark this important date, with the local MP and councillors joining around 50 residents, along with Sanctuary’s Senior Development Manager Frankie Lack and Director of Customer Care Sam Wait, who laid Sanctuary’s wreath.
After a full day of civic Remembrance events, guests were served with hot drinks and refreshments, provided by Sanctuary.
Sam Wait also joined the Royal British Legion to lay a wreath at their community event in Purfleet-on-Thames a week earlier.
Laindon highways under way
Work is now under way on the High Road to change the road layout. The change in road layout is needed to provide access to the development site and build a new, larger Lidl supermarket.
Traffic management will be in place throughout the work to ensure access is always maintained for residents and businesses.
The working hours are 7.30am to 7.30pm Monday to Saturday, and 9am to 4pm on Sundays. Work is expected to take around nine months to complete.
We will try to minimise disruption and apologise in advance for any inconvenience that may be caused.
This is a big step forward for the local community and represents a much anticipated milestone for the project.
Planning update
We proposed some updates to the existing planning permission to Basildon Council for some changes to the regeneration scheme.
The changes included:
- reducing the height of the apartment blocks
- changing the materials on the front of the buildings
- improving the proposed landscaping on the site
Our amendments were approved, marking another major step in the project. We can now move forward with the design of the scheme.
Highway works - overview
Highway works are taking place on High Road in Laindon to change the road layout so that the town centre regeneration can progress. The work is expected to take nine months.
The road works are needed to provide access to the scheme and build a new, larger Lidl supermarket. They must be completed before we can start any building work. The works will reconstruct the carriageway, renew paving, and realign road junctions, among other upgrades.
Traffic management will be in place, and as the work progresses, sections of the road will be reduced to one lane. Although we will do everything possible to reduce any disruption, there may be some traffic delays, noise and dust. The work will not affect access to nearby homes or shops.
What’s happening with the highway works this month?
From the middle to the end of August, UK Power Networks will complete groundwork on the road and footpath on High Road to install new underground cables ahead of an electrical network upgrade.
Contact us
Please do get in touch if you have any questions or concerns.
We have now signed a section 278 agreement (the legal agreement in place to start the road works) with Essex County Council. These works will start in August. The change to the road layout is required to provide access to the development site and build a new, larger Lidl supermarket.
Read about the Highway works accelerating at the Laindon Town Centre Regeneration
We are working with Essex County Council’s highways department to put the legal agreement in place to start the road works, which are required as part of the scheme.
We have relocated the site CCTV to ensure that the site is secure and keep local people safe.
We have also started site clearance works, which are needed before we can proceed with the main scheme.
We are continuing to replace the site hoarding, focusing on the area around the wall memorial, having listened to feedback from local people.
New hoarding is being erected around the site, and enabling and clearance, which started in December last year, are continuing.
We have put the required utility diversions in place.
We are also undertaking extensive survey work and site assessments to update the site's plans.
We are still updating the plans for the site, so these can be submitted to Basildon Council before September 2024. Having explored options to increase the number of flats on the scheme, we have reverted to the original number of flats and houses proposed for the scheme. We have simplified the design to make construction faster, allowing us to deliver the scheme more quickly for the community.
Following consultation events with local residents and businesses, we’re updating the plans for the site, so these can be submitted to Basildon Council in summer 2024.
We have also started site clearance works, which are needed before we can start the main build.
We are exploring options to increase the number of houses on sites, to replace flats. This is based on feedback from local people on their housing needs.
We held a groundbreaking ceremony on December 15 at the Laindon regeneration site, attended by local MPs and councillors to mark the beginning of the project.
The elected representatives were given a tour of the site and viewed plans for the new development, providing 205 homes for social or affordable rent and ownership options.
Councillor Andrew Baggot, Leader of Basildon Council, said:
“This is very exciting news for residents of Laindon who have waited patiently for decades for this scheme to be delivered. This is a new start for residents and I look forward to being updated on progress.”
We have used your feedback to develop proposed plans for the scheme. In December, we held two drop-in public consultation events to get your feedback on these plans.
The proposed development will deliver new, affordable, and high-quality housing, along with local shops that will include a larger Lidl supermarket and units for local retailers.
There is also an option to improve the existing medical center and provide managed parking.
The development will also provide a suitable setting for the war memorial and the historic Laindon fountain.
Sanctuary announced in March it was acquiring Swan Housing Association, and that we would progress the Laindon Centre regeneration.
We held two community events so you could have your say.
Almost 500 people attended community events held at Laindon Community Centre and Paddocks Community Hall on Thursday, 27 July. Members of Sanctuary’s project team were on hand to listen to residents’ views and talk to them about Sanctuary’s initial ideas for the scheme.
Displays showed several different options for the site, all of which delivered a mixture of new housing, shops, and a new health centre/GP surgery.
Sarah Brind, Sanctuary’s Head of Development – South, said:
“It was great to meet with the community in Laindon and I’d like to thank all those people who came along to hear our ideas and share their thoughts.
“We know how important this project is to the local community and we are absolutely committed to getting the regeneration back on track and delivering results that Laindon and the wider borough of Basildon can be proud of.”
View the displays and information from the event (PDF 1.58MB).
We have now signed a section 278 agreement (the legal agreement in place to start the road works) with Essex County Council. These works will start at the end of this month. The change to the road layout is required to provide access to the development site and build a new, larger Lidl supermarket.
Read about the Highway works accelerating at Laindon Town Centre Regeneration