How could Swindon expand next 50 years on from West Swindon?

The western expansion of Swindon in 1976 was declared a 'bold' move at the time, but now West Swindon is widely accepted as just another part of the town.

It began life in the mid‑1970s as a large tract of farmland, earmarked by planners to accommodate Swindon’s post‑war growth.

Designated as an overspill town for London in the decades after the Second World War, Swindon needed space for new residents, modern housing and a more suburban way of life.

To mark 50 years of West Swindon, residents have now created their own '50' daffodil installations in three locations around the Toothill area where the first houses were built.

However, the commemoration of Swindon's expansion has left the town looking forward to the growth that could still be yet to come.

The daffodil bulbs have been planted to mark the first houses in West Swindon (Image: Jason Spickett)

Rapid development plans were submitted in 2025 to expand Royal Wootton Bassett towards the M4, which currently separates Swindon and Bassett.

After 410 new homes were approved on agricultural land at Upper Woodshaw, many residents wrote letters concerned that the gap between Swindon and Royal Wootton Bassett was closing.

It's something Councillor Andrew Matthews says is a "valid fear."

"It won't physically merge with Swindon, and they will still be two separate towns," Councillor Matthews told the Swindon Advertiser.

"Not least because Bassett is in Wiltshire's unitary authority and Swindon is governed by Swindon Borough Council.

"But, if it continues to grow, it will feel like they're merging, and I think that's why people are rightly concerned.

"As it stands at the moment, it is just a fear - but it's a very valid and very real fear."

Hundreds of Swindon resident have also had their say on the town's local plan, which set out where thousands of houses, offices, factories, parks and roads might be built in Swindon.

For those invested in Swindon's future, the plan gives a vital glimpse into the future at how the town could look.

New Local Plan for Central Swindon (Image: SBC)

It envisages nearly 26,000 homes which will be built between now and 2043, most of them in six “strategic housing allocations”.

These will be Swindon’s Central area, the New Eastern Villages, Kingsdown, Wichelstowe, East Wroughton, and North Tadpole.

Wroughton residents have expressed fears that the village on Swindon's edge cannot take any more houses and is "being destroyed by overdevelopment."

"How can you possibly build more houses in and around Wroughton with the current infrastructure?" asked Darren Abbott.

"Roads are poor, along with narrow. The doctors surgery is bursting at the seams."

Leader of the Conservative opposition, Councillor Gary Sumner, is in agreement. He added: "Development at Highworth and Wroughton is inappropriate without the required infrastructure.  The plan is potentially doomed to fail."

Councillor Gary Sumner (Image: Ridgeway Ward / Facebook)

However, Councillor Kevin Small, the cabinet member in charge of the plan, explained: “The Local Plan sets out a clear and ambitious vision for how Swindon will grow and evolve over the next 20 years.

“It addresses the challenges we face today and outlines how we will meet the needs of a growing population, shaping the homes we live in, the jobs we create, the transport we rely on, and the environment we all share.

“It’s important that residents, businesses, community groups and other interested stakeholders are able to review the draft and share their views to help shape the Swindon we live in.”