Local government district of Basildon Essex, which was formed in 1974 and received borough status in 2010, encapsulates a larger area than the town itself; the two neighbouring towns of Billericay and Wickford, as well as rural villages and smaller settlements set among the surrounding countryside, fall within its borders.
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Basildon Essex Town is one of the most densely populated areas in the county.
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The parish of Basildon Essex was abolished to create Billericay on 1 January 1937.
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Basildon Essex has access to the City via road, on the A127 and A13.
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Railway service started in the 19th century to Pitsea and Laindon but it was only later that proposals to provide service to the new town of Basildon Essex, shelved for many years because of concerns that it would simply become a commuter suburb of London, were eventually forced through.
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Basildon Essex was one of eight 'New Towns' created in the South East of England after the passing of the New Towns Act.
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Since March 2010 Basildon Essex has a miniature famous white Hollywood sign, reading "Basildon Essex": at five feet tall, the new sign is one-ninth of the height of the Hollywood original.
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Former constituency of Basildon Essex was considered a barometer of public opinion in general elections.
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Basildon Essex was said to epitomise the working class conversion to Thatcherism during the 1980s, though the town did not vote Conservative in 1979; nor did the Conservative Party ever hold an absolute majority in the town – its success was due to the split between the SDP and the Labour Party.
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Basildon Essex was built like many new towns with each area being a planned community.
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Basildon Essex has industrial areas situated in Laindon, Cranes Farm Road and Burnt Mills.
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Basildon Essex has a senior ladies team, AFC Basildon Essex Women, who play in the National League Southern Premier.
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Town's main sporting facility is the Basildon Essex Sporting Village, that opened in 2011 and is based in Gloucester Park.
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Basildon Essex currently has one cinema, Cineworld, which is located at the Festival Leisure Park.
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Previously, Basildon Essex had an ABC Cinema, which was built in 1971 and was based in North Gunnells.
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Basildon Essex is home to the Haven Plotlands Museum and was previously home to the National Motorboat Museum, which had been based at Wat Tyler Park.
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Basildon Essex was designed with large amounts of green spaces with Gloucester Park dominating the centre of Basildon Essex.
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Dry Street is a perfect example of old Basildon Essex, as it is an undeveloped country lane that runs through One Tree Hill and Langdon Hill Country Parks and is home to several listed properties.
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St Nicholas sits proudly over Laindon, from where Basildon Essex can be seen clearly, however St Peter's at Nevendon is hidden behind Sainsbury's and is little known by its residents.
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Basildon Essex has its own community radio station, which is aimed towards the residents of Basildon Essex, East Thurrock and its surrounding areas called Gateway 97.
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Basildon Essex had a great influence on the 1980s music scene with bands Depeche Mode and Yazoo, and later by Alison Moyet in her solo career and Vince Clarke in his role with Erasure.
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Basildon Essex was the focus of Magic Party Place by photographer CJ Clarke.
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Basildon Essex's published three novels: Three Blind Mice, described by Marian Keyes as 'a dark and compelling love story of a genre that could be called East End noir'; Prohibitions, a literary thriller again set in the East End; and Presenting … the Fabulous O'Learys, a bold and imaginative take on King Lear, updated to the 1980s.
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St Martin's Church in Basildon Essex town centre is a modern structure.
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Basildon Essex has gone through several regenerations - a few highlights are:.
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