DETAILED plans on the transport plan for the major Eastern Villages development have gone out to consultation ahead of the first stages of work.

Over the next decade, around 8,000 homes will be built to the east of the A419, one of the country’s largest housing projects.

To deal with extra traffic which this will generate, a more detailed plan of when work on key projects will start has been drawn up.

The consultation is predominantly aimed at the developers, who will have to show they understand the plans and their wider impact.

Among the schemes included is work to upgrade the White Hart junction as well as a crossing over the A419.

Much of it will be funded using government money and cash will also be provided by developers.

A key aim of the transport plan is to reduce the amount of journeys so there is also a focus on public transport.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “The New Eastern Villages development will be one of the largest of its type being built anywhere in the country in the coming years, and making sure the people who will live and work there can get in and out efficiently and sustainably is absolutely crucial to its attractiveness, and for the wider Borough.

“This consultation is aimed mainly at developers, who must show in any planning application that they understand the wider travel and transport policies the council expects to deliver for the whole site, and how their individual plans will help those aims.

“One of the big challenges for the Council in delivering a major scheme like this is to make sure all those involved, including private developers and landowners, work to the same standards and to an overall plan, whether that is for transport or anything else.”

The first planning applications for the development have been submitted, which include one for 2,600 homes near Lydiard.

Work is expected to start later this year on major employment land opposite Gablecross Police station and the upgrade of the Greenbridge roundabout has also started.

When the construction began, Councillor Toby Elliott (Con, Priory Vale), the cabinet member for strategic planning, said: “This project is necessary to tackle a peak time bottleneck and improve road links towards the east of Swindon.

“Over the next 15 years there will be 8,000 new homes, a district centre, new schools and employment for up to 4,000 people in the new Eastern Villages development and we must ensure Swindon has the right infrastructure at the right time.”

Details of the plan can be found at www.swindon.gov.uk/easternvillagesconsultation