Millions secured for major new road in Wokingham

Plans from Wokingham Borough Council will see a new road built between Finchampstead Road in the west, near the Tesco Superstore, and William Heelas Way in the east.

The road is being constructed to serve 1,800 new homes that will extend urban Wokingham south of the Reading to London Waterloo railway line for the first time.

In the latest update for the project, the council has successfully applied for £29.6 million of funding from Homes England, the government’s housing and regeneration agency.

Councillor Lindsay Ferris (Liberal Democrats, Twyford), executive member for planning and local plan said: “We’re incredibly thankful to Homes England for providing this much-needed funding boost, and I’d like to personally thank the officers who worked hard to write and submit our successful bid.”

A share of funding for the new road will come from the contributions which developers have to make after getting planning permission for new housing.

READ MORE: Funds found to finish major road south of Wokingham

The developers will also build a primary school, community hall and allotments in the newly created area.

Parts of the distributor road have been completed already, with William Heelas Way being established off London Road, which serves the new Montague Park housing estate and Floreat Montague Park Primary School, and the Eastern Gateway roundabout which links with Waterloo Road.

The Eastern Gateway of the South Wokingham Distributor Road linking William Heelas Way, Floreat Montague Primary School and Montague Park with Waterloo Road. Credit: Google Earth

In the west, the former houses at 81, 83 and 85 Finchampstead Road have been demolished to clear the way for a roundabout to connect the distributor road with Finchampstead Road and Molly Millars Lane.

But the council required substantial funding for the main stretch of the road, which will run parallel to the railway line and serve new homes that will be built either side of it.

Work on the main stretch is set to begin later this year with hopes to open it in 2026.

The stages of South Wokingham Distributor Road. Credit: Wokingham Borough Council

The road was approved by the council’s planning committee in 2021, when the Conservatives were in charge of the council.

At the time, the Liberal Democrats had called for the distributor road to have segregated lanes for pedestrians and cyclists.

But the Liberal Democrats did not make changes to the road design when they took power in 2022, with a council spokesperson explaining that a late redesign would have had ‘an impact on the viability of the development’.

READ MORE: No redesign for major new road in Wokingham despite political change

Pedestrians and cyclists will be given priority at junctions and three-metre-wide verges, tree planting and drainage will provide a buffer between those walking and cycling and drivers.

When it was approved, it was established that road will have a 30mph speed limit, and have a half-hourly bus service running along the route linking Wokingham and Bracknell train stations.