Basildon.info – Basildon History
Fodderwick / Westgate
Shops in Westgate Shopping Park (around 1999)Earlier / Historic Shops on Fodderwick (before Westgate)
Fodderwick has played an important part in the growth of Basildon’s town centre. The first major buildings along Fodderwick were put up in 1958, forming a row of three-storey shops and offices. In the mid-1960s, a number of temporary council buildings were added on the opposite side of the road. One of these became Basildon’s first Central Library, which opened in 1964. Over the next few years, more temporary offices appeared, and by the late 1960s the area also included a small theatre and arts centre, which later became known as the Towngate Theatre. These buildings served the community for many years, even though they were never meant to be permanent.
By the late 1980s, the council began moving out of the temporary units, and the old buildings were gradually cleared. In 1989, the newly built Basildon Centre opened and became the new home for the library and other town services. After this, attention turned to redeveloping the large open site along Fodderwick. The land changed ownership in the late 1990s, and construction soon began on a new shopping development. Although it was first planned to be called the “Fodderwick Centre,” it was renamed Westgate Shopping Park shortly before opening to reflect its position on the west side of the town centre.
Westgate Shopping Park officially opened in November 1999. It cost about £30 million to build and included twelve modern retail units. As part of the redevelopment, the old Fodderwick roadway was closed to through traffic and replaced with pedestrian paving, creating a more open and accessible shopping area. Towngate Road was also pedestrianised to match the new layout.
Notable Fodderwick Units
Basildon Central Library – originally in temporary buildings in the 1960s
Towngate Theatre / Arts Centre – originally in temporary units on Fodderwick before the shopping park was built
A Changing Face of the Town Centre
Fodderwick has seen several very different phases of Basildon’s town-centre life. What began as part of the early New Town shopping and civic area gradually became a busy route through the centre, with shops, offices, cafés and public services all occupying the surrounding buildings.
The area also became familiar to generations of shoppers because of the variety of businesses found here. From independent traders and traditional retailers to larger national chains, the shops on and around Fodderwick reflected the changing way people shopped in Basildon.
Westgate in the 2000s
During the early 2000s, Westgate became a recognisable part of everyday town-centre life. Its shops offered a mixture of clothing, music, home furnishings, electronics and leisure goods, while the surrounding pedestrian areas provided space for people to walk between Westgate, Eastgate and the older parts of the town centre.
The businesses themselves changed considerably over the years. Some were replaced by new retailers, while others disappeared completely as shopping habits changed and many traditional high-street chains began to struggle.
More Than Just a Shopping Area
Although Westgate was designed primarily as a retail development, the area became part of the wider social landscape of Basildon. The pubs and food outlets around Fodderwick and Westgate gave people somewhere to meet as well as somewhere to shop.
For many local people, memories of the area are therefore connected not just with particular shops, but with meeting friends, going into town at the weekend, browsing the record and electronics shops, or simply passing through the town centre on an ordinary day.
A Snapshot of Basildon Life
The history of Fodderwick and Westgate is a good example of how quickly Basildon’s town centre has changed. Businesses that were once familiar landmarks have disappeared, buildings have been replaced and the way people use the centre has continually evolved.
Despite these changes, the name Fodderwick remains an important part of Basildon’s town-centre history. Westgate, meanwhile, represents one of the major changes that helped shape the appearance of the western side of the centre as the town entered the new millennium.
Fodderwick and Westgate — A New Chapter
From 2023 onwards, Fodderwick and Westgate have entered another major period of change. The shopping park, which had been a familiar part of Basildon's town centre for more than two decades, has increasingly become part of a much larger regeneration project. Basildon Council acquired Westgate Shopping Park in 2024, opening the way for plans to change the area from a mainly retail destination into a more mixed-use part of the town centre.
Demolition and New Development
Some of the existing Westgate buildings are now being cleared or altered as the area is prepared for its next phase. Plans submitted in 2025 include the demolition and redevelopment of part of the shopping park, with new residential buildings, commercial space, landscaping and improved public areas. The first phase includes 97 residential units, alongside a new 95-bedroom hotel.
The longer-term vision is considerably larger. Proposals for the wider Westgate area could eventually bring around 550 homes, together with new businesses, leisure facilities and public spaces. The intention is to create a part of the town centre where more people live as well as shop, helping to bring activity to the area throughout the day and evening.
Aldi in Westgate
One of the most visible changes in 2026 is the arrival of Aldi. Work has begun to convert the former retail units into a new supermarket, replacing the spaces previously occupied by retailers including JD Sports and One Beyond. The store is expected to open in November 2026, bringing a major food retailer back to the Westgate site.
Looking Towards the Future
The plans for the western end of the town centre are not limited to housing and shopping. Basildon has also been developing proposals for a new live entertainment arena, with plans for a venue of several thousand seats. The arena forms part of the wider ambition to give the town centre more leisure, entertainment and evening activity rather than relying almost entirely on traditional retail.
Fodderwick is therefore once again becoming an area of change. The buildings that defined Westgate for much of the 2000s and 2010s are gradually giving way to a different type of town-centre environment — one based around homes, food, entertainment, leisure and new public spaces. By the end of the 2020s, the western side of Basildon's centre could look very different from the Westgate that opened in 1999.