Why are around 8,000 homes being built on countryside in a development called 'The New Eastern Villages'.

The Swindon Borough Local Plan was adopted in 2015 and set out the level of housing, employment and other development needs up to 2026, where this should be located, and the infrastructure that is required to enable this development to take place. 

Previous the Labour Government in 2009 had supported growth of some 12,000 homes in the same area, which were fortunately rejected.

The land on which the New Eastern Villages will be built is not owned by Swindon Borough Council. It was promoted by landowners (farmers, land agents and promoters with developers to a smaller degree) over 20 years. The area was accepted as suitable to enable sustainable growth in the Town when combined with the infrastructure required to support the development. 

For some years the planned developments stalled and Swindon Borough Council was successful in bidding for around £75m of government funding to 'unlock' the growth by forward funding the upgrades to White Hart Junction (£30m), Gable Cross (£8m), Oxford Road/Nythe Road junction and Piccadilly roundabout at Covingham (£7m) and constructing the SCR (Southern Connector Road c.£40m). 

A SCR is a new strategic road from Commonhead to Lotmead which would accommodate traffic flows from the Southern part of the development. It acts very effectively as a bypass for Wanborough, meaning that traffic will not drive through the village to access the M4 etc. There will be a signalised junction with Wanborough Road to allow traffic from Wanborough and Covingham to continue to travel as it always has done, but to prevent traffic from the main area of the NEV (Lotmead etc) from turning left towards Wanborough). It also means that traffic can't come from Covingham and turn right onto the SCR.

There are two/three access points planned for the A420 to enter the NEV and the internal road layout will be designed so that these various access points do not encourage 'strategic journeys' as the roads will enter the various new 'villages'. Strategic journeys pas the NEV will use the new and vastly improved A420/White Hart route to access Swindon and the M4.

Funding was also specifically allocated for Wanborough as 'Measures to minimise rat running' in the plan - to 'deter' through traffic and this was delivered in 2022 primarily implementing the High Street traffic calming scheme which formalised parking areas, installing 'build-outs' to slow traffic and installing heritage 'primrose' double lines to stop parking inappropriately (which would have caused issues with the new calming features).

The original trajectory for building the NEV was envisaged to start in the North at Rowborough/South Marston and then build towards the South (at Redlands and Foxbridge). 

The Redlands development was promoted outside of the planned trajectory and after a succesful planning application was finally granted consent in 2019 for 370 homes and a Primary School. 

As the development at Redlands was in accordance with the adopted Local Plan I proposed at the Planning Committee that the application be granted, but I obtained some useful concessions including camera monitoring of traffic flows, to ensure that if they exceed predicted numbers measures could be considered to stop this traffic. It was also agreed that the Wanborough traffic calming scheme would be implemented before the development took place. As a condition of the Redlands consent, the Wanborough Road will be narrowed and a pavement installed from Wanborough to Covingham as well as installing 'build outs' to slow traffic and a new priority junction with the development.

I was keen back in 2016 that the Southern Connector Road was delivered as early as possible to start to accommodate the traffic from the new development areas. The land for the SCR was obtained through a compulsory purchase process which took some years to complete and then the route had to be carefully planned to avoid areas of high sensitivity in terms of archaeology.

Lotmead now has consent for some 2,500 homes including two primary schools and extensive sports facilities. There are also large areas of land protected for ecology, including river corridors and open spaces with public access. The SCR is the primary access point but with up to 200 homes off the Wanborough Road directly by the existing Lotmead business park entrance.

Great Stall East (accessed off the A420) is now consented for around 1500 homes and will provide the Eastern entrance to the NEV as welll as the 3,000 pupil secondary school, cricket and football facilities and a sports hub.

Foxbridge North was granted consent on appeal in November 2022, having been refused by SBC as funding was not being provided at a level which could deliver the primary school. This site has access only to the SCR.

Foxbridge South has planning consent (December 2023) but with no school!

The development shall provide (amongst other things):

• about 6,000 dwellings (south of the A420)
• about 1,500 dwellings (north of the A420)
• 500 dwellings at South Marston
• about 40ha of employment land
• about 12,000m2 (gross) of retail floorspace
• comprehensive community infrastructure including sports and leisure facilities, education provision, community facilities and a healthcare facility
• high quality public realm including outdoor civic public space
• sustainable transport links including: walking and cycle network improvements that integrate with existing networks and provide good connectivity within the development and to the surrounding area
•  an extensive green infrastructure network that maximises opportunities for habitat connectivity and enhanced biodiversity including extending the River Cole green infrastructure corridor and connecting with Nightingale Wood

At Wanborough Road - a new signalised crossroad junction.  Traffic movements at this junction are restricted, as follows:

• From north-east (proposed Lotmead village, NEV): Straight ahead towards Commonhead only.

• From the south-east (Wanborough Road, Wanborough): Straight ahead to Covingham, and left turn onto the SCR only.

• From south-west (proposed Foxbridge village and Commonhead): Straight ahead towards proposed Lotmead Village, and right hand turn towards Wanborough only.

• From north-west (Wanborough Road, Covingham): Straight ahead towards Wanborough only.

The New Eastern Villages (NEV) is one of the largest greenfield developments in the country. It will consist of 8,000 homes, new schools, employment spaces and community and leisure facilities.

It will be located to the east of the A419 and is estimated to span 724 hectares, with its eastern boundary reaching the point at which the River Cole meets the A420.

Key cycling and pedestrian routes will be incorporated in the development and there will be plenty of green spaces, including a nature reserve, playing fields and allotments.

The district centre and new secondary school will be particularly important in establishing a sense of place and reducing pressures on existing facilities in Swindon. A GP surgery will also be built along with a library and numerous other community facilities.

In order to allow the development to progress, a number of highways improvement schemes are due to take place.