Controversial £33 million Fleming Way scheme defended by Swindon Council
Local people have expressed major concern about the plans
Last updated 7th Sep 2022
The Fleming Way redevelopment in Swindon town centre has been defended by the Borough Council, amid criticism from some local residents.
The authority says the controversial £33 million project will "transform the look" of the area.
Fleming Way is now closed to all traffic, to enable the next phase of the long-term renovation. Those upgrades include a new bus interchange, public open spaces, cycle lanes and pavements.
In an extended interview with Councillor Sumner, the Council's Cabinet Member for Infrastructure and Transport, Greatest Hits Radio has been investigating the main issues raised by the scheme so far...
Traffic
The road is expected to stay shut to vehicles for the next two years. This has caused disgruntlement with many bus passengers, as journeys that were travelling through Fleming Way now have to use alternative routes and stops.
Furthermore, even when the road is functioning again, it will not be open to private cars.
The Council instead wants to support eco-friendly modes of transport, solely dedicating Fleming Way to buses, bicycles and pedestrians.
Whilst recognising that this decision will inconvenience some locals, Cllr Sumner insists most drivers won't be affected.
"In reality, that route has not been well used by people's cars for some years now ... it was quite a complicated route and that has deterred a lot of the through traffic anyway.
"There are still routes across town, where residents can go from A to B, which are not going to vastly inconvenience them. This is not a massive five-mile diversion, it's just a different route to get to where you want to go," he said.
Will it finish on time?
As things stand, it's expected Fleming Way will re-open to traffic in Autumn 2024.
However, there are widespread doubts about whether this completion date will be met. Other infrastructure projects across Swindon have been delayed in recent years, including those on Mead Way and Oxford Road.
The local authority checks progress at Fleming Way with contractor, Colas Ltd, on a weekly basis. According to the Council, it's currently as "confident as it can be" that the scheme won't overrun.
Despite the delays on similar Swindon developments, Cllr Sumner believes they are all worthwhile for the local economy.
"We've delivered nearly £250,000,000 worth of infrastructure projects in Swindon in the last few years, which has led to investments at Panattoni on the Honda site, (and) Amazon for example.
"It's easy to knock us and say: 'It's inconvenienced people, it's delayed, why didn't you do it another time?' If we hadn't done it (completed infrastructure projects), many of these investments wouldn't have come to Swindon," he added.
Where is the money coming from?
There is a common misconception that the Borough Council is funding the Fleming Way scheme entirely from its own pocket. The bulk of the £33 million has actually been provided by the central government's Future High Streets Fund.
Swindon Council successfully applied for the £25 million grant back in December 2020. The money was submitted under the condition it was spent on regenerating the town centre, with the aim of creating and protecting thousands of jobs through a public transport hub.
At the time, Swindon's Conservative MPs Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson said:
"We are both delighted that after spending many months championing Swindon’s cause alongside the Conservative led Borough Council who helped prepare this bid, Swindon has been awarded £25 million - the highest amount to be awarded in the country.
"This money will be used to modernise our town centre, ensuring that it is fit for the future".
During his interview with Greatest Hits Radio, Cllr Sumner added: "£33 million wouldn't get us very far in buying-up some of the tired buildings that sit around parts of the town centre. We're doing something which is going to transform the look of the town".
Despite the positive noises from the local authority, Swindon Labour Councillor Jim Robbins argues the Fleming Way project hasn't been well planned:
Of the remaining £8 million needed to renovate Fleming Way, the Borough Council is providing £5 million from its own budget.
The last £3 million has been funded by the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership, a private sector company which aims to support economic growth across the county.