THE long wait for a decision on the £10billion Lower Thames Crossing is forcing fearful residents to sell up and move away, councillors claim.

Following a decision on the Lower Thames Crossing being pushed back to May 2025, councillors say it is impacting residents’ lives in south Essex with some selling their homes as they dread the new crossing being built near their back gardens.

Speaking at a meeting of the Lower Thames Crossing Task Force on Tuesday, chairman Fraser Massey, said: “There has been lots of people’s lives who have had a lot of upheaval due to the crossing plans in terms of some people have sold their houses, others have had their houses purchased, other people are still dreading it being at the bottom of their garden and they are not going to get any recompense until it’s taking transport, if it ever gets built.”

The proposed new crossing between Kent and Essex, which began in 2016, was also branded a “dinosaur project” due to the changing face of travel.

Neil Speight, Independent councillor for Stanford-le-Hope West, added: “What I’m really concerned about is the impact on our borough, the impact on our residents.

“It’s really unfair on residents in Tilbury who don’t know whether to buy a house, sell a house, don’t know what schools to put their kids into because we don’t know.”

Mr Speight called on cabinet to agree to write to the Minister of State for Transport to call for no more delays to the decision. He added: “It is our job to hold Government to account.”

The initial deadline for a decision on whether to grant a development consent order enabling National Highways to build the 14.3-mile road was initially scheduled for June 20, but was delayed until October 4 because of the General Election. It is now expected on May 23.

When asked how the delays were affecting the delivery of Thurrock’s local plan, chief planning office Ashley Baldwin said the challenge is “when will growth come forward and where should growth be allocated”.

He added: “In the absence of clarity around the Lower Thames Crossing, the council will have to make a decision in terms of the implications of that. There is a direct link between the local plan and the crossing because that will have an impact on when future growth is phased.”