NEW estates could be built in Basildon by moving the A127.

Dale Farm and Hovefields could see large blocks of housing built there as part of a plan for the future of the borough.

The possibility was discussed as a way of developing thousands of new homes, including 500 on the green belt close to Dale Farm.

Councillors considered the option but decided not to include it in the housing plan but mark it as a “broad location for housing growth” which could be brought forward as a serious option in five years.

Local Plan committee chairman Richard Moore put forward the proposal at a meeting on Thursday.

He claimed it was possible for the A127 to shift roughly half a mile north, creating space for the major redevelopment of Hovefields and the Dale Farm area.

In August, the council rejected the Hovefields and Honiley neighbourhood plan, which would have welcomed up to 1,000 homes in the area.

Concerns have also been raised about potential toxic ground around Dale Farm which may be impacting on the health of travellers amid rumours many are leaving the remaining part of the site.

Speaking at the meeting Mr Moore said: “Given what we have heard about the living condition of the site, the degraded state of the landscape and the location within and around it and given the proximity of the site to the A127 corridor, there are some merits to be considered, including the unmet need for housing and the idea for a new settlement of 500 homes.

“However I also note the evidence we have heard tonight indicates this is not likely to be the easiest site to deliver, and we do not have the assurances we need as to where the current residents will be moved to as a result of the development and the sustainability of the scale of development proposed.

“Furthermore, I am aware we have talked about the work underway of the joint strategic plan and the implications this proposed development may have for bringing forward improvements and the realignment of the A127.

“I am therefore minded to accept the recommendation for officers not to allocate this site for development of this time, however I understand the council can allocate broader locations for meeting housing needs in the later part of the plan period.

“I would like to suggest an alternative, the broader area to the south of Crays Hill, Billericay including this site, is a broad location for housing growth within the local plan, with the requirement that a specific sustainable proposal be developed more comprehensively, in time for inclusion in the first review of the local plan. “