Major roadworks schemes in Swindon are needed to allow the town to grow and prosper, the council’s deputy leader said.

And when they are finished – which Gary Sumner says should be over the winter – the council won’t be rushing into more seriously disruptive works for a while.

Coun Sumner holds the cabinet portfolio of strategic infrastructure, transport and planning and will be quizzed this month by the council’s scrutiny committee in a special session on over-running roadworks.

The report he will present to the committee says lessons have been learned by setbacks at Mead Way and the White Hart roundabout – but, fundamentally, it says the works are needed to enable Swindon’s expansion and they have to be done now. 

It says: “It is unprecedented for so many strategic schemes to be brought forward at the same time.

"However, the scale of Swindon’s growth requires that the schemes are complete and in place in advance of development taking place.

“This, along with external funding conditions have meant that Swindon has experienced a more significant amount of disruption to the highway network in a shorter space of time. This period of disruption is coming to an end.”

Coun Sumner said: “We have strategic expansion sites at the New Eastern Villages, and Tadpole Garden Village and Wichelstowe. We need this controlled growth, otherwise there will be uncontrolled growth and housebuilding, which is the thing that most annoys residents. 

"To make sure the growth areas happen, we need to have the roads and infrastructure in place.”

Two major schemes, the Mead Way widening and the improvements to  the White Hart roundabout have been plagued with problems. 

Of Mead Way, which has been delayed by more than a year, Coun Sumner said:

“Opposition councillors keep saying you can’t blame Covid – but there was a global pandemic.

"Work was shut down, contractors couldn’t get on site. If they can’t come, then there’s a 100-day wait minimum until they can next be on site. Then there was a delay because there were great crested newts on site, which are protected. People might think it silly, but they had to be moved.

“Maybe more surveys could have helped with the problems we found at the White Hart roundabout.”

The predictions for completion of the Mead Way works are by the end of November, and the White Hart roundabout should be useable to traffic – but with lane closures – by the end of the year. The new bridge and slip road should be completed by the end of February.

The scrutiny meeting starts at 6pm on Monday, October 18 at the civic offices.