Plans are set to be submitted for more than 600 new homes in Swindon, as part of a proposed expansion of a large residential development on the Wiltshire town’s southern edge.
Four detailed applications for 616 new homes in Wichelstowe will be put before Swindon Borough Council over the next month.
The project is being built by construction firms Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes in partnership with the council, and is one of the largest local authority joint venture agreements in the country.
Around 3,000 homes new homes are planned for delivery at the 250-hectare site over the next 20 years, along with new schools and community facilities.
With work well underway on the first properties in The Orchards and Wichel Fields neighbourhoods of Wichelstowe, permission is now being sought to expand both areas and provide additional homes within the central Canalside area.
Subject to approval, developers said work on the next phase of the project is expected to start in 2023.
A total of 365 homes are proposed for The Orchards, which could be either side of Scott Way and eventually join to a new road passing under the M4 motorway.
There will be a full mix of homes in The Orchards ranging from one-bed apartments to five-bedroom homes overlooking green spaces which could be linked by tree lined paths referred to by developers as “Green Streets”.
Construction could continue in Wichel Fields for 138 new homes building up to Foxham Way, while the new application also proposes the next phase of homes in the area being built directly alongside the canal.
The footpath network could also be extended with connections made down to the canal towpath and links into the Wichel Wood path. The extension of the canal itself will be the subject of a separate planning application later this year.
A collection of 113 homes is also planned for Canalside to the south of the Wichelstowe Trinity Learning Campus. According to the plans, a higher proportion of these could be apartments, while a new car park could also serve the wider District Centre.
Dan Pavely, project director at Wichelstowe, said: “The development at Wichelstowe has already made a significant contribution to address the demand for new, quality housing in Swindon. I look forward to this new phase coming to fruition and taking my first walk along the Green Street.”
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