A ONE billion pound price tag has been put on a scheme to transform the Front Garden.

Swindon Council has begun the hunt for a developer to mastermind the Wichelstowe scheme.

When complete the 764-acre site will have 3,300 homes, three schools, a canal, neighbourhood and village centres and more than 70,000sq ft of employment space'.

To find a developer the council is now marketing the site, which will include 30 per cent of affordable housing, as a project worth £1bn.

And it has spelled out that it wants someone with green ideas to establish Swindon as a sustainable' trailblazer.

"This is a huge and very complex project," said Coun Rod Bluh, leader of Swindon Council.

"We felt that a land disposal strategy made more sense than us trying to develop it.

"Also given that we have an over-riding vision for a sustainable community and development we thought this was a great opportunity to make this an exemplar development.

"So we are looking for a developer with a proven track record.

"Someone who doesn't just deal in the bricks and mortar of sustainability but someone who knows how to create sustainable communities.

"And the money raised from the sale will go back into the council's capital programmes for the time after 2010."

East Wichel, which borders Old Town's Croft Road, is already being developed by Taylor Wimpey with the company building more than 900 homes on the site.

This new scheme is for the remainder of the Front Garden - which has been called Middle and West Wichel.

As inspiration for the project Swindon Council is pointing to developments in Europe, particularly Sweden where zero carbon, zero waste developments are common as benchmarks.

"Of course it has to be something that is appropriate for Swindon," said Coun Bluh, pictured above.

"But we do want something that will really show off our credentials that we are a sustainable city and that we are putting our money where our mouth is.

"In the last few months we have won a sustainable building award for the library in town and there is the possibility of a partnership with the National Self Build Centre.

"I think that shows that in the last 12 months we have delivered real meat to the sustainable bone.

"It all helps us develop real credibility as a centre of sustainable excellence."