🚍 Fleming Way is now ready to open - which stops to use?
The record is clear: Conservatives delivered. Labour flip flopped.
✅ First set out in 2017 as part of the Town Centre Masterplan
✅ Conservatives secured £33 million funding including £25 million from Government
✅ Unlocks land for new homes, offices and even a potential theatre
✅ Safer route linking the railway station to the town centre
✅ Modern bus shelters, cycle lanes, new trees and greenery
❌ Labour spent years calling it a £33 million bus stop.
When hidden gas pipes, high voltage cables and broadband cabling caused delays, they blamed Conservatives.
Now the very same Labour councillors call it a catalyst and claim credit.
The record is clear: Conservatives delivered. Labour flip flopped.
Stagecoach:
🚎 Route 4 (Orbital Shopping Park and Tadpole Garden Village) will reroute via Commercial Road and Regent Circus on journeys towards Swindon, stopping at Stand B.
Swindon Bus:
🚎 Routes 1, 1A, and 1B (Ramleaze, Middleleaze, Sparcells & Orbital Park) will stop at Stand G.
🚎 Route 5 (Park North) will stop at Stand T. Route 5 (Orbital Park) will stop at Stand F.
🚎 Routes 11 and 12 (Oakhurst) will stop at Stand E. Routes 13, 13A, 14, and 14A (Eldene and Liden) will stop at Stand E.
🚎 Route 15 (Haydon End and Orbital Park) and Route 16 (Taw Hill and Blunsdon) will stop at Stand D.
👉 Stagecoach driver praises the new interchange:
First set out in 2017 as part of a refresh of the Swindon Town Centre Masterplan, the Fleming Way Bus Boulevard is now ready to open.
Conservatives backed the scheme from the start. They secured one of the biggest awards in the country from the Government’s Future High Streets Fund worth £25 million together with £5 million from Swindon Borough Council and £3 million from the Local Enterprise Partnership. That £33 million package, signed off in 2020, made the project possible.
Labour opposed it. They branded it a £33 million bus stop and said it would not rejuvenate the town centre. When hidden gas pipes, high voltage cables and broadband cabling were discovered, causing delays, they attacked Conservatives for poor planning.
By 2023 Labour had taken control and inherited the very project they had criticised. Jim Robbins admitted the scheme was running late but blamed the utility companies. Now the same Labour voices who said it was not enough describe Fleming Way as a start and a catalyst.
For residents, the benefits are clear today:
• A safer, level route linking the railway station directly to the town centre
• Modern and accessible bus shelters with real time departure screens
• Hundreds of new trees and plants making the area greener and more welcoming
• Better cycle lanes and safe pedestrian crossings
• Unlocking development land, including the old bus station site, which can now be used for offices, housing and even a potential new theatre
Even bus drivers are praising the result. As one Stagecoach driver told the Swindon Advertiser: “I think it looks fantastic, it is a really nice interchange… it will be a lot safer for passengers and for us as drivers.” (Swindon Advertiser)
Zurich cited Fleming Way as one of the key reasons it decided to remain in Swindon, relocating to their new Grade A headquarters at Unity Place, adjacent to the boulevard.
FI Real Estate continued to highlight Fleming Way as a key infrastructure project that significantly enhances connectivity and lays the groundwork for future development in Swindon’s town centre. As an investor in nearby 1 Newbridge Square, they welcomed improved connectivity, public spaces, and infrastructure, saying it encouraged further interest and investment in the area.
The record is clear. Without Conservative leadership and government backing, Fleming Way would not exist today. Labour spent years criticising it. Now that it is ready to open they have changed their tune and claim credit for a project they never believed in.
Early plans with South & Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership: