A POLITICAL row has broken out over the Thamesdown Drive extension, with the Labour Group accusing council leaders of flip-flopping over whether it will be built.

On Sunday an independent report said an extension of the main road down to the Barnfield Roundabout would not deliver enough benefits to justify a potential £50 million cost.

Instead, it said, the focus should be on improving Akers Way and Rodbourne Road as well as turning part of Mead Way into a dual carriageway.

Councillor Dale Heenan (Con, Covingham and Dorcan), the cabinet member for transport, initially said if the report was approved at a scrutiny meeting next week it would be the focus of the council’s plan to fix traffic problems in the area.

However, in a statement later in the day it was made clear the Conservatives were also looking to build an extension, but at a later date.

The Labour group has said the lack of clarity showed there was no clear plan for dealing with problems on the road, something which has been dismissed as party politics by the Tories.

Coun Jim Grant (Lab, Rod-bourne Cheney), the Labour leader, said: “We’re pleased that Councillor Heenan has backtracked somewhat on this issue.

“The Thamesdown Drive extension road is crucial to dealing with traffic problems in the north and west of the town, and to ditch this road or kick it in to the long grass as Councillor Heenan had suggested is not acceptable to Labour.

“We really don’t see this issue as either dualling existing roads or the Thamesdown Drive extension road. We have to be working towards both of these in order to increase capacity on our roads.

“The Government has demonstrated with the £540m project to tunnel under Stonehenge that money is available for road schemes, and we’re only seeking £50m for the Thamesdown Drive extension road.

“The next step is to pay for the shovel-ready plan of the Thamesdown Drive extension and the council has the money to do this through the remaining S106 money from the Northern Sector development.”

Coun Heenan has said the report he commissioned means there is not a fixation on one option, which he says is one of the reasons nothing more has happened in more than 20 years.

He said: “For too long the extension of Thamesdown Drive to Great Western Way has been used as a political football, and I have consistently said what I believe.

“Swindon Council needs a plan B which doesn’t fixate solely on building one road. We need a plan that is realistic, achievable and targets the traffic delays which residents and I face every day.

“Labour’s initial reaction to a balanced engineers report, showing the benefits of building the £50m Thamesdown extension road have been overstated, is a perfect example of the childish behaviour I am having to deal with.

“This road is not the magic bullet claimed by some. The only idea, and I’m not joking – it is the only idea, from Labour is to spend £600,000 on consultants to design a road, while the independent engineers are saying reconsider, seriously, please look at your alternatives, which could cost just £15m.”