Kingsgrove, north-east Wantage
Kingsgrove is the name given to the Crab Hill development, a new neighbourhood between the A338 Grove Road and the A417 Reading Road on the north-eastern edge of Wantage. The site was allocated for about 1,500 homes in the Vale of White Horse Local Plan 2031 as land at “North East Wantage and South East Grove”, and outline planning permission was granted in July 2015. A second outline consent in 2023 added 34 homes by making better use of part of the site, taking the total to 1,534.
The name looks back to King Alfred, born in Wantage in 849, and to the royal apple orchards said to have covered the area.
What’s been built so far
Building began in 2018 and the first residents moved in that November. By 1 April 2026 the council recorded 933 homes completed, and 1,225 homes had detailed permission across ten phases built by several housebuilders, including St Modwen Homes, Bellway, CALA Homes, Taylor Wimpey and Vistry. Two parcels remain without detailed plans: the rest of the South West parcel and Grove Road West, with applications expected in 2027 and first completions forecast from about 2028.
- School: Wantage Primary Academy opened in September 2020, with room for 420 pupils and a 26-place nursery.
- Local centre: a public square opened in 2021 and a Co-op convenience store followed in 2025.
- Care: a 72-bed care home is complete.
- Sport and play: a floodlit multi-use games area and pavilion, run with Wantage Town FC, plus play areas, woodland walks, allotments and a community orchard.
- Still to come: a community hub, where construction was due to start in spring 2026, and a central park with a skate park.
By the numbers
- 1,534 homes permitted; 933 completed by April 2026
- At least about 32 per cent affordable housing
- Up to about 100 new homes a year expected until the early 2030s
What it means locally
Kingsgrove has made Wantage noticeably larger and pushed the town towards Grove. The new King Alfred Way link road runs through it, giving residents direct access to both the A338 and A417, while the original entrance is now for buses, bikes and pedestrians only. Shared spaces such as woodland, sports pitches and the orchard are looked after by an estate management company funded by residents’ service charges.
How to follow it
Applications can be looked up by reference on the Vale of White Horse planning register (for example P13/V1764/O, P23/V0134/O).
The developer publishes newsletters and a residents’ query tracker on the Kingsgrove website.