A DECADE on from the Dale Farm saga, hundreds of travellers living near the controversial site – now a wasteland – are keen to up sticks and leave. 

Despite the site being destroyed and residents being moved away, countless traveller families are still embedded in the Crays Hill community near Basildon.

The families live on a legal traveller encampment, close to the site of a huge stand off between travellers, protesters, and police in 2011.

According to Stuart Carruthers, who represents the group of travellers in court, the community are “fed up of Basildon” and want to move on from south Essex.

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But with the land worth so little, selling the plots – which may have “up to 60 owners” – is proving increasingly difficult.

It is believed around 400 travellers live on a permanent traveller site neighbouring the Dale Farm land.

Mr Carruthers, said: “I’m expecting it to be turned into housing at some point, and the sooner they do that the better. But there’s so many issues that they are facing. 

“They are struggling to sell the land, it’s so cheap. The only reason they settled there was because the land is so cheap.

“The travellers are more than happy to move on, if they get the money for it, otherwise they can’t afford to buy anywhere else.

“I think they’ve had enough of Basildon, they just don’t like the town anymore.

“No one is going to build the homes until a developer comes along and buys it.”

But the issues with future developments haunt senior councillors to this day, with “serious Highway problems” also preventing homes being built.

With limited access getting onto and leaving Dale Farm, and the busy A127 dual carriageway nearby, huge developments may not be possible. 

Kerry Smith, deputy leader of Basildon Council, said: “We don’t know who owns the land. It’s down to the land owners with what they want to do with it.

“They need to come together and go through the local plan process and put some recommendations forward.

“The council is still owed money from the evictions. I think that figure sits at around £4million. If the council waived that money, then I’m sure the land owners will then want to do something. 

And an Echo poll revealed what residents want to happen to the Dale Farm land.

Tony Ball, county councillor, fears homes won’t be possible.

He said: “It will cost millions to put another access point on their, and that’s without major improvements to junctions.

“It could become a mini nature reserve or a biodiverse environment, but with the highways problems, it couldn’t become a country park or be open to the public.”