A 'VITAL' link road to support a new housing development in Wantage is a step closer after a bid for nearly £8m funding was submitted.

Vale of White Horse District Council applied for the government funding this month to help create the Wantage Eastern Link Road.

The new highway will stretch around the new 1,500-home Crab Hill estate currently being planned for the town, connecting the A338 near Mably Way to the A417 on the eastern side of Wantage.

It will provide the main access to much of the new estate but the developer, St Modwen, has not offered to provide the full funding.

The district council said another benefit of the road would be keeping traffic away from Charlton Primary School.

If the bid to the government is successful it will contribute to the cost of the road along with other sources of funding, including contributions from St Modwen over a number of years as the estate is built.

Cllr Matthew Barber, leader of the Vale of White Horse District Council, said: "I think everybody agrees this road is absolutely vital. Securing this funding from the government would mean we can get it built more quickly. We’re working hard to ensure the infrastructure is in place before the majority of the houses are built."

St Modwen announced this week it will hold a public exhibition of its plans for the estate at 29-30 Wantage Market Place – formerly Oxfam and M&A Electricals – on Saturday, October 14.

From 11am to 4pm locals will be able to see more plans for the houses, primary school and recreation areas.

The developer has also announced a new name for the estate – Kingsgrove – after the Saxon king Alfred the Great, born in the town, and the historic Wantage apple orchards.