Tadpole Garden Village residents frustrated over unfinished development

They are now growing frustrated that developer, Crest Nicholson, still has outstanding jobs to complete, with many roads and pavements in the area remaining unfinished. 

More than 400 residents of Tadpole Garden Village had signed a petition, set up by Parish councillor Bradley Williams, asking Swindon Borough Council to publish timelines and plans for current and future development in Tadpole Garden Village because of their unhappiness.

Read More: Crest Nicholson: Over 400 residents petition for development to be properly finished

Following this, a meeting between the company and ward councillors for the area - Daniel Adams, Steve Heyes and Jake Chandler - as well as the cabinet member of infrastructure and planning, Gary Sumner, to see what could be done. 

Parish councillor Bradley Williams and examples of unfinished work in Tadpole Garden Village (Image: Newsquest)Coun Heyes then provided an update on what happened in the meeting via Facebook. 

"We discussed the problem of Tadpole now reaching maturity and the expectation that the roads and pavements should be finished ASAP.

"The discussion was productive, and we got Crest to agree to produce an action plan over the next four weeks, providing more specific details on how/when the roads and pavements will be completed in Tadpole.

"In addition, we also asked Crest to work with us to coordinate the other builders/subcontractors in Tadpole who are not directly managed by Crest."

Other issues that were allegedly talked about in the meeting include the completion of the sports facilities, open spaces/landscaping, school place availability and the provision of accessible play equipment. 

Improvements to the A419 Blunsdon bridge were also discussed. 

The meeting between Swindon Borough Council and Crest Nicholson (Image: Steve Heyes)Steve continued: "Another ask of ours is to improve the lines of communication between the developers and the Tadpole community.

"We have asked for more regular updates to work schedules, quarterly reports and more details to be provided to affected houses when work is delayed.

"We are grateful for Crest’s support of these three initiatives. Clearly, it is vital that communication between these various parties and residents are made clearer so that residents know their issues are being noted and resolved."

A Crest Nicholson spokesperson said: “Crest Nicholson has been working closely with the local council on completion plans for Tadpole Garden Village.

"We are pleased to report that much progress has been made and we are on track to complete all works. The development will then be handed over to the management company for ongoing upkeep.”

A request for an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Screening Opinion for a proposed development of 410 more homes has been made for Tadpole 2, land north of Burcot House, just next to the existing Tadpole Garden Village.