WORK to regenerate the town centre will start in less than two weeks after developers were hired to carry out the first part of the makeover.

The diggers will move into Wharf Green on September 3 when the first preparations for construction will start.

The New Swindon Company, in charge of the facelifts on seven areas of the town centre on behalf of the council, has appointed building firm Dean and Dyball to create the bustling public space, which will include a 35sq metre TV screen, pictured above, and a climbing wall stretching the length of the Brunel West car park.

The whole area is expected to be completed by next spring.

New Swindon Company chief executive Peter James said: "We are excited about Wharf Green.

"This new development will start to create that lively bustle that has been missing in Swindon for so long.

"We are also delighted to welcome Dean and Dyball on board. I have no doubt they will make a fantastic success of the project and I am very much looking forward to seeing the finished result.

"As a first step in the regeneration, Wharf Green will be the beginning of a transformation in Swindon.

"The big screen, along with everything else that is being added, will bring a real vibrancy and animation to the area, and I hope it will provide the local community with a place they can use and enjoy."

Dean and Dyball's regional director Andy McAdam said: "We are very pleased to be involved with this milestone redevelopment by the New Swindon Company and look forward to delivering the project successfully for the people of Swindon and the surrounding area."

As well as the interactive BBC screen, which will be the first of its kind in the south of England, Wharf Green will also see new paving, landscaping and lighting.

It will be the first of seven areas of Swindon to be regenerated under the New Swindon Company's £1bn project.

New offices and leisure facilities will also be added adjacent to Fleming Way, the new central library will be built at the Promenade, and the town's shopping area will be expanded at the Hub in Regents Place.

There will also be a mixture of retail, commercial and recreational facilities built around a central piazza at the Arena.

North Star Village has been identified as a new and vibrant residential area, while Swindon Central will bring the railway corridor to life.