Roadworks in Wantage: a look to the near and more distant future

AS I mentioned last week Thames Water are planning to close the A338 at Manor Road Wantage. The road will be closed from Monday, July 25, for six weeks from the Church of England Primary School to the Memorial Recreation Park car park. This is the main route south to the M4 from Wantage and Grove and main diversion routes will be via the A34.

On the subject of roadworks, when the first planning application was submitted for 200 homes on Stockham Park Farm (marketed as Letcombe Fields) the planning application included the provision for widening of the Denchworth Road at the main entrance to the development.

The developers were also required to add two pedestrian islands to make it safer to cross the Denchworth Road.

Our understanding was that these had to be completed prior to the occupation of the first house on the development. Needless to say, this didn’t happen.

We believe that more than 100 homes have been completed and occupied on Stockham Park Farm so far and the remainder will be completed over the next two years.

But no changes have been made to the Denchworth Road yet.

Since this planning application was approved, two further applications for a total of 180 more homes have been approved on Stockham Park Farm and the whole area between Crown Packaging, Fitzwaryn School and Stockham Park will now be filled with housing.

We have been raising the issue of widening of the Denchworth Road with both county and district councillors for years now. We have now been informed that the required enhancements are going to happen at last and it looks as though Bovis are finally starting work.

Though I’m not counting on it – how many times have we been told that the wall in Wallingford Street will be repaired soon?

Bovis appear to be starting work at the Fitzwaryn end of the development but the area on the Grove side of the entrance isn’t even marked out yet. That means it’s unlikely to be completed in the next few weeks.

No other infrastructure to support the residents of these 380 new homes is planned.

For example, there are no plans to expand Stockham Primary School. We know that King Alfred’s Secondary School have received planning consent to build houses on East Site so they have less space not more. Therefore any children on the new developments are likely to be sent to schools further away and will require transport to get there.

This will all add to the levels of traffic on our roads and we know how busy they are already.