Thamesdown Drive extension moves a step closer with funding bid

Hopes that Thamesdown Drive could be linked with the Great Western Way have taken a step in the right direction.On 23 June, the Cabinet voted unanimously to move forward with a funding bid which is seen as vital to making the ambitious scheme viable.Officers from Swindon Borough Council have been working with the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership with a view to approaching central government for possible financial support.Their target is the Department of Transport’s Large Local Schemes Fund – they hope to secure £1.27 million which would pay for a detailed design, all the environmental surveys as well as the preparation of a full business case and planning application.Providing the bid now goes forward as planned, the council will hear in the Autumn Statement later this year whether it has been successful.If the initial bid is successful, a further bid would be submitted to the government for full funding support in 2019.The council estimates that the cost of the Thamesdown Drive to Barnfield Link would be in the region of £44 million.The Swindon Transport Strategy has said that demand on the town’s road network could increase by 48 per cent by 2026, predominately as a result of extensive house building.