The Long Riding public house in Long Riding, Barstable, opened. Stanley and Margaret Green are the first publicans to take charge.

The first tenants begin occupying properties on the Lee Chapel South No.1 housing area. The new estate, situated off Nether Mayne, was built on behalf of Basildon Development Corporation. It would eventually comprise 4 housing phases including an area designated for privately owned dwellings. New street names included in the development were The Knares, Great Gregorie, Ingaway, Cross Green and Wetherland.

Cranes Farm off Cranes Farm Road, Nevendon demolished. The farm had existed at Nevendon since 1272 when Hugh le Crane is said to have been its first occupant. It had stood in Basildon Road (later renamed in the 1950s to Cranes Farm Road) and sometimes known as Great Spenders. The last occupants were the McCheyne family, who sold the farm and grounds to Basildon Development Corporation.

Co-operative Wholesale Society open a milk distribution depot off Southernhay (later Bluehouses and now Time Square) in Basildon town centre. The milk delivery service was run by Grays Co-operative Society, later to became London Co-operative Society (L.C.S.), and had a large department store in the main Town Square. Their battery powered milk floats and green milk crates carrying bottles, in either gold top, red top, silver top or sterilised, soon became a regularly seen sight around the town. A Co-op funeral directors was also established and although the milk depot later closed the directors, now known as Co-op Funeralcare, remains open for business.

The first tenants move into maisonettes above the Southernhay and Nether Priors shops in Basildon town centre. The fifteen maisonettes, in blocks of three and one block of six, were constructed above shop units 59, 69, and 79 Southernhay and 1,3,5,7, and 9 Nether Priors. They were built on behalf of Basildon Development Corporation and are the first residential properties within the town itself. Following Brooke House's construction in 1962 it would be another 46 years before another purpose built residential building appeared within the town, this being The Icon in Southernhay, completed in 2008.

Two 'pantry' style shops at Luncies Road, Barstable completed. The two shops numbered 51 and 53 with upper flat accommodation, were built by the development corporation to serve the existing housing development in the Luncies Road area. The design was very similar to that used at Whitmore Way, Fryerns. J.A. Forman, newsagents & confectioner, previously of 2 London Road, Pitsea and W & D Crook's grocery store were the first traders to open.

Fryerns neighbourhood Sub-Centre shops extension at Whitmore Way and Battleswick completed. The 5 shop units, even numbered 86 - 90 in Whitmore Way and odd numbers 1 and 3 in Battleswick, is a continuation of the existing parade of shops originally completed in 1953. Work commenced on its construction, which was at an angle to the existing structure, the previous year and included two-storey maisonettes above each shop unit. Among the first to open were Nelson and Ford motorcycles and accessories at No. 90, Gerald's Hair Fashions at No. 86 and the Battleswick fish bar at No. 3.

Cigarette manufacturers Carreras Rothmans relocate to a new purpose built factory at Christopher Martin Road on the No.1 industrial estate at Nevendon. The company, founded in the 19th century by Don José Carreras Ferrer, moved to Basildon from their previous Arcadia Works factory at Mornington Crescent, Camden, NW1, following a merger with Rembrandt-Rothmans Group the previous November. The new factory and six storey office block, which retained the name Arcadia Works, occupies a 12 acre site and would in 1960 became the world's first fully automated cigarette manufacturing plant when the Duke of Edinburgh, on a special visit in March, switched on the final item of plant to complete the automation. The factory survived to 1984 when the company closed it down amid a down turn in cigarette sales. The office block, complete with landmark exterior clocks, was later renamed Phoenix House, which it remains today although the two clocks has since been removed.

Swift Motorcycles established. The business was founded by Gordon Swift (1928 - 07/02/2014) who set up a motorcycle sales, spares, servicing and M.O.T. centre in Church Road, Laindon. In the early 1960s a second venture, Gordon Swift Motors, was established in the new recently completed industrial units at 8 Gibcracks, Barstable, Basildon, offering the same service less sales. The Laindon motorcycle business survived for just over 55 years - in its later years being run by Jimmy Doodes - before being bought out by Marshall's Motorcycles Ltd., following business at the week ending Saturday 11th June 2016. Prior to Swift's the property was known as The Stores and run by Eric and Hilda Pollard. It operated from the 1940s as a general store and newsagent before the family moved a short distance away to a property near the exit of Pound Lane on the London bound side of the A127 Arterial Road, where their business continued into the 1960s.

The first tenants begin occupying properties on the Ghyllgrove housing area. The new development corporation estate was built in two phases from around 1958; being completed in the early 1960s. A third housing area off The Gore was later completed in 1962.

Kingswood Community Hall at 142B Clay Hill Road opened. The community hall, located on the first floor above the neighbourhood shopping centre, was built by the development corporation to serve the recently completed Kingswood housing development. It was designed by corporation employees William Crabtree, F.R.I.B.A. in conjunction with Anthony B. Davies, A.R.I.B.A. and chief architect planner. Kingswood Community Association, formed later that year, then managed the building which since 1994 has been in the ownership of Basildon Council.

10th January

Roundacre roundabout in Basildon becomes fully operational to vehicular traffic. Work on the new 6 junction roundabout began the previous year after the completion of the Nether Mayne railway underbridge. Two roads, Upper Mayne and Broadmayne were not yet connected to it though both would be completed by 1961. Initially there were two pedestrian subway entrance/exits which in the 1960s was increased to four. Its size was reduced over the years due to increased traffic, and though plans in the 1970s to create an upper level never reached fruition, it was finally replaced in the 1980s with a double roundabout and duel carriageway link road called Roundacre.

February

The first new vehicle service station and car dealer opened at Long Riding, Barstable. E.D. Autos Limited, a Vauxhall and Bedford dealership, were the first to occupy the site which they later branded E. & D. Knight. The petrol station side of the business - selling Esso - had already opened the previous year in September while the remainder of the site was still under construction. In the 1970s Clayton Car Sales took over when it became Basildon Motoring Centre followed by Longman's Motors, who traded in the High Road at Laindon in the 1960s, and continue to run it to this day. There is no longer a petrol forecourt service having been discontinued sometime in the 1980s or earlier.

14th March

Laindon Community Centre in Aston Road opened. The hall, built at a cost of £25,000, had been many years in the planning being jointly funded from private sources, the council and Basildon Development Corporation. President of Laindon Community Association, Mr. George J. Sibbons, who in 1952 donated £4,000 towards its construction, carried out the opening duties. The hall held up to 400 people and was used extensively up to 1985 when it was destroyed in a suspected arson attack. A new community centre was built close by and also in Aston Road.

29th July

The New Towns Act, 1959 given Royal Assent. Provision within Part II of the Act for the creation of a successor to the development corporation's led to the formation of the Commission For The New Towns in 1961.

5th August

Prime Minister, Harold Macmillan, makes his second visit to Basildon. His visit was the first stop on a three 'New Town' tour that would include Stevenage and Harlow. After a tour of the Town Centre he attended a reception and press call at the newly completed Kingswood Community Centre. His first visit was back in 1952 when he served the Conservative government as Minister of Housing and Local Government. Today's visit is thought to be the first instance of any serving Prime Minister since Basildon was designated a 'New Town' in 1949, to make an official visit.

1st October

Langdon Hills Water Undertaking acquired by Southend Waterworks Company. The undertaking was established in the 1930s by Billericay Urban District Council; being subsidised by a small charge on the general rates. The water, which served over 800 properties, was supplied in bulk from South Essex Waterworks Company. The cost of the acquisition was put at £6,500.

8th October

Mr. Edward Gardner (later Sir) (29,224) is elected Conservative Member of Parliament for the Billericay constituency including Basildon. The Preston born politician and barrister, he became a Q.C. (Queen's Counsel) in 1960, won with a majority of 4,822 over Labour's Rita Smythe, standing as the first female candidate in the history of local politics. This was Mr. Gardner's second general election contest, the first being in 1955 when he fought the Kent constituency of Erith and Crayford; losing to Labour's Norman Dodds by 8,618 votes. He won the candidacy after the previous incumbent, Richard Body, stood down to concentrate on his career as a barrister. The Conservative Party won the general election. The declaration count, which took place at Archer Hall in Laindon Road, Billericay, broke the 10pm barrier coming in at 59 minutes, which stood as the record until 1997 when it was beaten by Sunderland South in a new time of 46 minutes.