Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet agreed to authorise the transfer on Thursday 8 October, allowing the next stage of the major housing development to progress.
The latest phase will deliver 616 properties across three neighbourhoods, completing Canalside and Wichel Fields in Middle Wichel, as well as The Orchards in West Wichel.
The homes will range from one-bedroom flats to five-bedroom detached houses, with 94 properties allocated for shared ownership or affordable rent.
The development will also bring improvements to roads, pedestrian routes, canals and green spaces.
Wichel Way will be completed, providing an east-to-west route through the development and finishing the area’s main road network.
The canal network will be extended, including a new connection beneath Mill Lane, while additional footpaths will be created.
An existing boardwalk will also be extended southwards to link with the new residential areas.
The properties will incorporate modern building techniques, including timber frames and solar panels, with access to an electric vehicle charging point provided for every home.
Hundreds of swift bricks, bat boxes and hedgehog highways will be introduced to support wildlife, alongside the planting of hundreds of trees.
The council’s decision also allows design work to begin on The Meadows, which will form the final phase of Wichelstowe.
Councillor Matty Courtliff, Swindon Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for Housing and Property, said:
“I am really pleased my Cabinet colleagues agreed to authorise the transfer of land for this next phase of the development as it represents another significant step forward for Wichelstowe.
“These new homes, together with improved infrastructure, green spaces and affordable housing, will help meet local demand while continuing to build the vibrant and sustainable community that has been taking shape over recent years.
“With the final phase now moving into the design stage, we remain firmly focused on delivering one of the UK’s leading urban extensions right here in Swindon.”
Wichelstowe is being delivered through a partnership involving Swindon Borough Council, Barratt Homes Bristol and David Wilson Redrow South West.
The wider development covers 250 hectares on the southern outskirts of Swindon and is expected to provide around 3,000 homes.
Plans for the overall site also include schools, community facilities, sports pitches, allotments and nature conservation areas.
Russell Glimstead, Barratt Redrow Regional Managing Director for the West region and Wichelstowe LLP Board Chair, said:
“This is a crucial next step which sees the completion of the new communities which have been taking shape over the initial six years of the Wichelstowe partnership.
“We’re excited to deliver this phase and also to look ahead and start planning the development in The Meadows.”
A construction start date for the latest phase has not yet been confirmed.
