Despite the period of temporary hiatus that the pandemic has brought to the delivery of various projects and council services in Swindon, one major scheme, I am pleased to say, has been able to continue with little interruption.

The New Eastern Villages is one of the largest greenfield developments in the country.

Once completed, the nine villages that will be situated between the A419 and the A420 will comprise around 8,000 new homes, new schools, employment spaces and numerous community facilities, and it’s our job at the council to ensure it is brought forward in a coordinated way.

Earlier this month, an outline planning application was approved to build around 2,500 homes at Lotmead and permission was granted for an application to build a 50,000 square metre warehouse at Symmetry Park, near White Hart.

This £400m investment in the warehouse will be a huge jobs boost for Swindon and the wider area.

Over the course of the next few years, a £72m programme of road improvement works will be taking place to ensure that proper infrastructure is in place before the new houses are built.

Indeed, work to improve the roads around the A419 to make way for the NEV has been progressing well over the past few months, with social distancing rules being strictly adhered to throughout, and next week major roadworks will be taking place at the White Hart roundabout.

From Monday, 22 June, the roundabout will be reduced to a single lane between 7.30am and 6pm on weekdays for seven weeks to allow Osborne, the contractor, to get on site and complete the next stage of the scheme.

Work will also need to take place at night on the A419 southbound slip road, though this won’t be until the end of the seven-week period, and we will keep residents fully up to date on how this might affect their journeys.

These changes will create extra capacity on the roundabout that will help to reduce queuing traffic which backs onto the A419 at peak times.

Details about the upcoming works that require a lane closure at the White Hart roundabout will be communicated over the coming weeks, so people should follow the Council’s social media channels for frequent updates.

If you would like to receive our monthly e-newsletter which contains regular updates on the NEV development, log onto www.swindon.gov.uk/newsletter.