CHANGES could be made to the plans for the Lower Thames Crossing.

The controversial plans from Highways England have undergone a change to the route surrounded its favoured Option C.

The route which will connect Essex with Kent in order to lower the congestion at the Dartford Crossing and the Blackwall Tunnel will be made up of two tunnels, with three lanes each for traffic crossing the River Thames in both directions.

The crossing will travel two miles beneath the river.

An updated map of the plans show new roads at North and South Ockendon, Orsett and Tilbury.

The amount of land required to construct and operate the new proposed Lower Thames Crossing has increased dramatically as a result of the new plan.

As previously reported by The Gazette, residents have feared that their homes could be lost due to the plans.

A spokesman for Highways England said: “We have been in touch with people living along the route of the proposed new Lower Thames Crossing to let them know about some changes to the boundary of the scheme.

“Since the last boundary was published in November 2017 we have been working to better understand the impact of the scheme design on the environment and local communities.

"We have made changes to the boundary to accommodate these changes."

The plans propose to take up a large area near to Orsett Golf Club, as well as a lot of green belt land west of Grays.

The plans intend to link the M25 ahead of Lakeside and then through the middle of Thurrock.

"We have identified areas that we think we might need to manage flood risk and to protect the environment, and minimise the impact of the scheme on local people and businesses.

"These measures include replanting woodlands, creating new wildlife habitats and mitigating noise impacts.

“The design of the Lower Thames Crossing will continue to evolve and the boundary may change further, so we will continue to communicate with homeowners and affected communities about any new information that they need to know.”