AS we start the New Year, it seems appropriate to give an update on the housing developments around the Wantage area.

The developments at Stockham Park Farm are finally nearing completion. The Bovis development off the Denchworth Road is complete, only a couple of homes are still on the market and most roads have been finished and green spaces landscaped.

Downsview Park (near the Airplane roundabout) is almost complete but Abbey Fields (near the canal and north of Stockham Park) is still under development.

Humphries Green on Chain Hill still doesn't have the beautiful park promised in the planning applications but trees have been planted and grass laid so patience is all we need.

The homes on Naldertown are nearing completion but several are still on the market.

King Alfred's East site (Springfield Road) has started with several homes already built and we expect people to start moving in soon.

Crab Hill building continues and over 50 homes are now sold, four stages of development are underway and the primary school should be ready for occupation this September.

The Wantage Eastern Relief Road has started with earthworks near the Mably Roundabout but to keep the government funding we would expect construction at both ends to start this year.

The developments on Monks Farm in North Grove near Bellingers continue with most of the developments along Station Road being occupied and phase two of the Bellway development started. But the sites behind them still do not have signed agreements and the completion of the North Grove relief road looks a long way off.

Building on Grove Airfield continues and about 50 homes are now sold on a combination of Persimmon and David Wilson sites. There is a comment in the County Council Pupil plan which states: "Vale Academy Trust has been granted provisional approval to open this as an all-through primary and secondary school, providing 2 forms of entry in primary provision and 4 forms of entry in secondary provision. The current ambition is to open this for September 2023."

Building continues on sites in both East Hendred and East Hanney and the first application is in for the new sites approved in Local Plan part 2 in East Hanney.

Both sites between Wantage and East Challow are started and several homes have been built on the Childrey Park development (on the old depot site) but prices have not yet been released on either.