Tenants begin moving into the first properties to be constructed in what would become the first neighbourhood in the new Fryerns area of Basildon. The estate, comprising 214 properties, was built by Richard Costain Ltd. of S.W.1, London. Work began the previous year with some of the first to occupy the houses, mainly centred around Grimston Road, being labour workers employed to work on building sites within the new town.

16th February

The first Master Plan for the new town of Basildon is submitted to Hugh Dalton, Minister at the Ministry of Local Government and Planning by Basildon Development Corporation. It was prepared by the Corporation's Chief Architect Planner, Noel Tweddell, A.R.I.B.A.

13th June

A public inquiry into Basildon Development Corporation's 'Master Plan' for an anticipated 80,000 population takes place in Vange. The inquiry was conducted by Mr. Henry George Warren, A.R.I.B.A., M.T.P.I., on behalf of the Ministry of Local Government and Planning. It was held at All Saints' Church Hall in Timberlog Lane (now Clay Hill Road) and scheduled to last two days but in the event was all over in around six hours. Among the Corporation's speakers were Mr. R.C.C. Boniface, Chief Solicitor, who according to reports spoke for 1½ hours, and Mr. G. Rawes, Chief Finance Officer. The Residents' Protection Association were also in attendance; contributing a number of objections. One of the main contentions concerned the rise in the anticipated population from the original 50,000 estimate to a projected 80,000.

18th June

The first new town tenants move into homes at 61 and 63 Redgrave Road, Vange. In September 1950 Basildon Development Corporation awarded builders C.S. Wiggins & Sons Ltd. of 57 Hart Road, Thundersley, Essex the first housing contract worth £47,507 for 39 rented properties in Vange. The first completed houses were in a short terrace of three homes, each with three bedrooms, in Redgrave Road on the Bellevue Drive estate. Redgrave Road was a new road to the area having no history before this date; its course beginning off Ravenscourt Drive* and cutting across previous residential settlements of Bellevue Drive, and Pitseaville Grove* (*in their original forms) to a junction with Vange Hill Drive. John and Betty Walker from East Ham along with their two children; Melvyn, age 6, and Valerie, 15 months, were the first to move in at No. 61, an end terraced house, on Monday 18th June followed by Eric and Marjorie Hawkridge next door at No. 63. Reg and Betty Bartlett were third in soon after at No. 65 in the first completed terrace. Occupation of a second terrace of six houses, numbered 49-59, began in August 1951 when Stan and Phyllis Martin moved into No. 59 to became the fourth new tenants followed by Stan and Lillian Foster next door at No. 57. In 1968 the odd numbers side of Redgrave Road was extended around the midway point after number 39 with new housing in a short cul-de-sac. The new properties, numbered 41-131, caused numbers 49-65 to be renumbered 133-149. The house is now over 60 years old and may one day receive a plaque to honour its place in the history of Basildon. Although the first tenants moved in on Monday, on Friday 22nd the Corporation held a formal ribbon cutting ceremony to mark the occasion attended by Lady Whitmore, the wife of Sir Francis Whitmore, Lord Lieutenant of Essex. The Walker's helped to cut the ceremonial ribbon. Others in attendance included the Corporation's General Manager, Brigadier W.D.G. Knapton and its Chairman, Sir Lancelot Keay; Billericay U.D.C. Chairman, Cllr. Donald Thorn; and two mayors, Walter E. Harford and Rev. William W. Paton representing East and West Ham respectively. The weekly rent and rates in 1951 was £1 12s. 7d. (£1.63p).

24th August

The first Master Plan for Basildon is approved by the Rt. Hon. Hugh Dalton, M.P., Minister of Local Government and Planning. It was submitted back in February and followed on 13th June by a local Public Inquiry. It allowed for an anticipated population within the designated area of 80,000.

10th September

The first new factory to open is South-East Essex Wholesale Dairies, at Cranes Farm Road on the No. 1. Nevendon Industrial Estate. Constructors Hosking & Son Ltd. began work on the site around September/October 1950 and a foundation stone was laid on 10th November by Colonel Sir Francis Whitmore, K.C.B., C.M.G., D.S.O., T.D., Lord Lieutenant of Essex. The cost of the factory which was capable of processing 3,600 gallons of milk a day was around £25,000 and following its completion became the first new building erected in the New Town. The company was formed in 1945 by Charles Markham, a dairy farmer from Laindon whose business in the High Road provided many of the staff when they transferred to the new site on opening. The company continued at Nevendon well into the 1970s. The necessary road and engineering work to make the site accessible was carried out earlier in the year by Leftley Brothers Ltd., of Barking, who in Phase One, opened up the first 13 acres of the planned 100+ acre new industrial estate.

1st October

Eastern National Omnibus Company open a small bus depot at 18 Bull Road (now Clay Hill Road), Vange. The company acquired the premises, the former Victoria Timber Yard builders' merchants business run by Robert Greaves & Sons, earlier in the year and had it converted for use as a bus depot to garage the balance of the Grays services not taken over by the London Transport Executive. The company remained at Vange until April 1961 when a new larger purpose built depot opened near Basildon town centre at Cherrydown (now Cherrydown East). They also opened a booking and enquiry office around 1958/9 at 125 Timberlog Lane, though this too would close in 1961 when the company moved to its new premises.

25th October

Mr. Bernard Braine (later Sir) is re-elected Conservative Member of Parliament for the Billericay constituency including Basildon. He won with a majority of 6,323 over Labour Co-operative opponent Brian Clapham, who was making the first of two unsuccessful attempts to win the seat. The Conservative Party won the general election.

23rd December

Derek Hood of Redgrave Road, Vange is the first child to be born in the New Town. His parents and sister Valerie had moved into No. 33 in a newly completed row of terraced housing on the Bellevue Drive estate.