One of the biggest housing developments in Swindon- and arguably the cornerstone of the huge New Eastern Villages development was given permission more than a year ago.

But as our pictures show, no work has started on the building of more than 2300 houses, plus what is essentially a new village centre in South Marston.

Last year Hallam Strategic Land, Hannick Homes and Taylor Wimpey were given outline permission to build 2380 houses and flats along with, community facilities, green space, allotments, walking and cycling improvements, and a new primary school at the very north of the expansion zone.

This will effectively more than doubling the size of South Marston.

But there is still a long way to go before any work can begin, although progress is being made behind the scenes.

The developers only have outline permission – and they still have yet to even lodge an application for the matters still to be decided: How the houses and the village centre will be laid out and what the buildings will look like.

But they have put in several applications to have a number of the conditions imposed with the first permission signed off. These include things like getting waiting until improvements to Junction 15 of the M4 and the White Hart Roundabout are completed and agreement from Thames Water on a wastewater plan.

The latest details its how Old Vicarage Lane will look after the work is finished, with a layout allowing access to the new homes and it includes a constriction plan and tree management plan.

The tree plan says the new junction to be constructed in Old Vicarage Lane will need the removal of seven trees, but only one of those is assessed to be even of moderate quality.

All of these plans and strategies need to be agreed upon before the next phase – a detailed planning application can be made. And not only is it a large and complex development in itself – but it has to cohere with the other developments coming forward as part of the New Eastern Villages.

A Swindon Borough Council spokesman said: “Following outline approval in August 2021 for a mixed-use development of up to 2,380 homes, the developer consortium of Hallam Land, Hannick Homes and Taylor Wimpey has submitted a number of discharge of conditions applications.

“As the Local Planning Authority we are currently working through these submissions with the developer, which include a number of strategic site-wide documents such as the Phasing Plan and Strategic Design Code.”