BLUNSDON Parish Council has come out against proposals to earmark fields near the village for an estate of 1,650 new homes.

More than 100 residents packed Blunsdon Village Hall to discuss Swindon Council’s final draft of the Local Plan 2026, which seeks to earmark the fields between B4019 Broadbush, in Blunsdon, and Kingsdown Lane, for a new mixed-use development.

Blunsdon Parish Council remained tight-lipped on whether or not it supported the so-called Kingsdown development for weeks after it became public knowledge in October, but has now announced its opposition to the plans following a meeting this month.

The official response, sent to Swindon Council, states that a slimmed-down development on the south of Kingsdown Lane may be more acceptable, but says the current proposal is contrary to various clauses that are in the Swindon Small Scale Urban Extensions Study 2008.

The parish council also raises concerns with the proposed access, suggesting that rather than bring traffic from the site onto the B4019, the upgrading of the existing Kingsdown Lane south as far as the Highworth Road would provide an alternative access to the A419 without increasing the traffic on the B4019 and reducing the potential use of the Ermin Street/Lady Lane bridge.