South Wokingham Distributor Road

Update: 9 January 2025

Enabling works to allow us to complete the South Wokingham Distributor Road will be starting on Monday, 20 January, with main construction due to start in Spring 2025.

We will update these pages in full, including a long-term overview of the works programme and expected timeframes for each stage, as soon as we can.

In the meantime, you can read more in our latest media release. For regular updates on the progress of this scheme and any expected disruption, please sign up to our South Wokingham community newsletter.

You can also check our interactive map to learn more about all expected disruption on the borough’s roads, or subscribe to our Traffic and Travel newsletter. 

Most of your questions about the South Wokingham Distributor Road will be answered on these web pages, and in the South Wokingham newsletter, within the next few weeks. 

However, if you are directly affected and have an urgent query, please email our project partners at Balfour Beatty.

Why we're building the South Wokingham Distributor Road

We are committed to the development of 2,500 new homes in the South Wokingham major development (technically called the South Wokingham Strategic Development Location). The aim of the planned South Wokingham Distributor Road is to create access for these new homes and minimise the impact of the increase in traffic on nearby residential roads.

• Visit the Major New Roads map    
• Visit the South Wokingham Major Development progress map
• Sign up to receive our Major New Roads Newsletter      

Background

Our Local Plan (Core Strategy), which earmarks South Wokingham as a major development site, identified a possible relief road for South Wokingham. We considered 3 potential routes and made a technical recommendation that Option B - the central alignment - be taken forward. We consulted on the 3 route options in early 2014 and found there was a clear public preference  (81 percent) for Option B.

In November 2014, our Executive gave approval for Option B to be taken forward, subject to minor route refinements. 

In March 2015, our Executive approved plans for the Eastern Gateway section to be progressed, in advance of the rest of the distributor road.

South Wokingham Distributor Road Public Exhibition

Drop in exhibitions took place in Spring 2019. Residents were invited to make comments prior to the planning application for the next phase of the road being submitted later this year.

Project overview

The distributor road is to be delivered in sections, as identified in the map at the top of this page.

• Montague Park - The developer led section of South Wokingham Distributor Road (SWDR), called William Heelas Way in Montague Park, was completed in Summer 2015 by David Wilson Homes as part of Montage Park housing development
• Eastern Gateway - This section of the SWDR will also be called William Heelas Way and joins the previously completed section of William Heelas Way through the Montague Park development with Waterloo Road.
• Central section and Western Gateway - From the Eastern Gateway section the SWDR will run west across Easthampstead Road to Finchampstead Road - connecting at the existing Tesco roundabout. It is also proposed to improve the junction of Molly Millars Lane and Finchampstead Road, a scheme known as Western Gateway.