The Council for the Preservation of Rural England has criticised the plan to build a road under the M4 from the new housing development at Wichelstowe.

But the councillor in charge of the scheme says its needed because it allows easy access for new residents, and that’s important in attracting people to live in the town.

Swindon Borough Council will be constructing the road from the huge 4,500-home development through an underpass under the M4 to the south, where a new roundabout will be constructed.

This will give access to Wharf Road to Wroughton, Hay Lane directly south and a road to junction 16 of the M4.

But the CPRE wanted a rail link from the area to Swindon railway station.

It said a rail bridge link "helps to regenerate the town centre, and provides a more direct route to the station."

And it claims a road link “ will generate longer local vehicle journeys through junction 16 between Wichelstowe and West Swindon and encourages car use along the motorway and more congestion, noise and pollution.”

But Gary Sumner, the borough council’s cabinet member in charge of strategic planning said the road was needed to attract people to Swindon, and particularly Wichelstowe.

He told the Advertiser: “This road has been planned for a significant length of time and even that being the case, it has become even more important.

“Swindon is becoming a very popular place to live for people who work elsewhere, and they need good links to jobs in places such as Reading or Oxford or Bristol.

“It’s a fact that the southern access road is very much needed and good quick access to the much improved junction 16 of the M4 makes Swindon very attractive to house buyers,” added the councillor.

Most of the money for the £26m project is coming from central government via the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, with £3m being found by the borough council.

Work on both the road and the houses around the village centre of Wichelstowe has begun, and it is expected the new road will be fully operational by spring of 2021.

The plan will be to continue two lanes of the M4 running in both directions while the underpass is constructed.