Council to spend £400,000 protecting unfinished road following construction firm’s collapse

More than £400,000 is to be spent on protecting an unfinished road in Swindon.

Swindon Borough Council is paying a contractor £440,000 to guard the unused road from later this month until mid-2026, allowing work to be completed.

The company building it, Buckingham Group, went into administration in 2023 before the road was finished.

The council decided to pay for repairs to get the road into use before seeking compensation.

Borough councillor Chris Watts told BBC News: “We can’t risk this going on for years and years.”

The road is currently owned by administrator Grant Thornton.

Watts, cabinet member for transport, said: “We have a responsibility to get the road open, a responsibility to contractors who want to build the houses in the NEV, and a responsibility to residents who are having the construction lorries use their road because this road can’t be used.”

The council is now waiting for a specialist consultant to say what work is needed but hopes the repairs will be finished by the end of the year.

A spokesperson for Grant Thornton said: “The administrators are in ongoing discussions with the local council, with the view to resolving the matter.”