Guarding empty road to cost council £440,000

More than £400,000 is to be spent on protecting an unfinished road from misuses such as illegal racing.

Swindon Borough Council is paying a contractor £440,000 to guard the unused road from later this month until mid-2026, allowing work to be completed.

The company building it – Buckingham Group – went into administration in 2023 before the road was finished, delaying its progress.

The council decided to pay for repairs to get the road into use before seeking compensation. Borough councillor Chris Watts said: "We can't risk this going on for years and years."

The road will serve 8,000 homes being built in the New Eastern Villages (NEV) development in Swindon, the Local Democracy Reporting Service said.

It runs from South Marston to north of Commonhead roundabout.

The road is currently owned by administrator Grant Thornton.

The company wants the council to pay for the road so it can be handed over but the council argues it is not fit for purpose and needs repairs, including "significant" work to a bridge.

Mr Watts, cabinet member for transport, said: "We have a responsibility to get the road open, a responsibility to contractors who want to build the houses in the NEV, and a responsibility to residents... who are having the construction lorries use their road because this road can't be used."

He added the repair works "won't be cheap".

The council is now waiting for a specialist consultant to say what work is needed.

It hopes the repairs will be finished by the end of the year.

A spokesperson for Grant Thornton said: "The administrators are in ongoing discussions with the local council, with the view to resolving the matter."

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