ALMOST 2,000 new homes on the edge of Southend could heap even more pressure on the already gridlocked Cuckoo Corner junction, it is feared.

The proposed sale of Southend United FC could see homes intended for Roots Hall move to the former Fossetts Farm stadium site in Eastern Avenue, bringing the number of homes planned there to 1,400.

A development of 221 flat-pack homes near Waitrose and 131 homes on former NHS land brings the total of homes planned along Eastern Avenue to 1,752.

Concerns are now being raised that the additional homes could mean the Cuckoo Corner junction with the A127, Victoria Avenue, Manners Way and Priory Crescent reaches breaking point.

Daniel Cowan, leader of the Labour Group, has put forward a motion to the council calling for improvements to the notorious roundabout, but he said quick wins could help.

He said: “I think the junction in its current design we all know can’t cope with the volume of traffic on some of our busiest days.

“Adding a huge volume of houses in an area where you will have very little option but to travel through Cuckoo Corner to get home is always going to make it worse.”

The junction has proved a problem for drivers for years, despite several attempts to improve traffic flow.

Mr Cowan added: “If we are looking at engineering works that is a much longer piece of work because you need to do all the design, you have to go to consultation and you have to secure funding.

“If its trialling a different phasing of the lights, if it’s simple things like having a deterrent that stops people turning right out of Aldi, which is supposed to be left turn only, and looking at how the pedestrian lights interact with the junction.”

Kevin Buck, Tory councillor responsible for highways, transport and parking, insisted the council is trying to address issues.

He said: “The issues at Cuckoo Corner are complex and many of the issues are not caused by the junction itself, particularly with the traffic backing up down Priory Crescent that encroaches back into Cuckoo Corner.

“We are aware of the issues. We’ve been working on this for some time. Highways officers are looking at various options. If the Fossetts development does go ahead there will need to be significant and robust plans for the development to allow for additional pressures put upon localised transport.”