PREPARATIONS are being made to force the purchase of land set aside for the Eastern Villages if deals cannot be reached with owners.

Over the next decade, it is expected 8,000 homes will be built on plots of land east of the A419 near South Marston.

Along with the homes there will be large sections of commercial land created along with village centres and schools.

However, to allow the necessary infrastructure to be built, large swathes of land need to be purchased,which is owned by more than 100 different landlords.

It is hoped deals can be done to purchase these sites but if they cannot, then Swindon Borough Council is preparing to use Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO).

Councillor Toby Elliott (Con, Priory Vale), the cabinet member for strategic planning says, in a report to cabinet, this is an important move as they are not dealing with one body

“Without any formal development consortium for the council to negotiate with on purchase of land needed for infrastructure it is considered likely that some of the land required may not be secured, or become available for purchase in a timely fashion,” he said.

“It is therefore imperative that the use of the CPO powers as an alternative is clearly set out by the council at this early stage, whilst it continues to pursue diligently the first option of assembly of land by private agreement.”

The Eastern Villages is one of the largest single housing projects in the country and is seen as necessary for the town’s growth.

The Local Plan, a document which outlines development in Swindon over the next 10 years, identifies the site as a key area for growth.

In total, there are five ‘villages’ which have been designed around the flood plain and a number of planning applications have been already been submitted, including 2,600 homes near Lotmead and another 2,400 homes just north of the A420.

While more than £40 million has been secured from the Government to carry out the necessary transport improvements, such as upgrading the White Hart junction and increasing the capacity of the Greenbridge roundabout.

Coun Elliott said: “It is necessary to enable infrastructure to come forward early in the development management process to achieve the timely delivery of a sustainable and properly planned scheme.

“This includes providing key transport routes supporting access to the whole development and mitigating additional strain on existing highways, the potential to unlock difficult sites, to ensure residents have access to essential services and facilities including healthcare and education provision in the short term, and deliver benefits Swindon as a whole.”