The New Eastern Villages (NEV) is one of the largest greenfield developments in the country, and we want to keep you updated as work progresses.

As a subscriber, this newsletter will drop into your inbox every month and will contain everything you need to know about the development and the accompanying roadworks. An option to unsubscribe from receiving future editions is available at the foot of every newsletter.

There are 14 people in our dedicated New Eastern Villages team. They have been working on this project for a number of years and are experts in their respective fields.

In each newsletter edition we will introduce you to one of them.

If you have any questions or concerns about this scheme, please feel free to contact the team via email: whitehart.junction@osborne.co.uk or wwhj@swindon.gov.uk.

Should you need it, the emergency number for White Hart junction construction work and traffic management is 07899 751807.

Temporary closure of A419 slip road next month

The next stage of the White Hart Junction improvement scheme will be to widen the A419 southbound exit slip road to four lanes. This will include construction of an embankment retaining wall, as well as new drainage, kerbs, signs and lighting along the slip road.

To undertake these activities safely and efficiently, our contractor Osborne needs to fully close the A419 southbound exit slip road and approval has been given by Highways England to start from Monday 5 October for approximately seven weeks.

The White Hart roundabout will remain open to traffic during this time and signed diversion routes will be in place to assist road users affected by the closure.

The New Eastern Villages development received a major boost recently as funding is now in place for the Southern Connector Road (SCR). Homes England have confirmed funding of £19m from its Housing Infrastructure Fund towards the £31m scheme. A further £11.6m has been allocated from the Local Growth Fund and Department for Transport. 

The new road will join up the NEV with Commonhead roundabout, near the Great Western Hospital. A planning application and accompanying Environmental Impact Assessment were approved by our Planning Committee in December last year. 

The road will be designed to prevent rat-running and to avoid known areas of high archaeological interest. Measures will also be put in place to safeguard wildlife, particularly endangered species. As part of the road crosses a flood zone, drainage is an important element of the design. The Environment Agency is a key partner in helping to develop flood mitigation measures.

Councillor Gary Sumner, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Strategic Planning, said: “Ensuring we have the right infrastructure in place before the New Eastern Villages development is built is crucial and I am delighted we have final sign-off on the significant funding from Homes England for this really important link road.

“The SCR will have a dedicated cycle route running alongside and this will create a sustainable connection to the wider cycle networks within Swindon.

“We are investing £72.5m into the road network around the NEV and most of that funding has been secured from the Government which is a great vote of confidence not just in the Council, but also in Swindon’s future.”

Further to planning permission to build 370 homes at Redlands Village being granted, work may start soon to form the access and to plant trees and bushes either side of Liden Brook, subject to approval from the planners.

Developers Vistry Homes and Bellway Homes have requested to discharge various planning conditions, whereby the relevant works cannot start until plans and details are submitted and agreed.

The plan for Liden Brook shows trees, shrubbery and green space to serve as a barrier between the proposed new homes, play area and to provide an eight metre buffer zone protecting the brook, which forms the northern boundary of the development site.