DEVELOPERS who won a planning battle to build shops and restaurants on the site of the Tented Market in Swindon town centre have now said they want to replace it with an 11 storey scheme including 95 flats.

The news comes just three months after they won a planning appeal and costs were awarded against Swindon Borough Council, which had refused planning permission.

In a letter to the council a few days ago, NC Architects said: “The appeal scheme was criticised by the planning committee for not including any landmark vista to the end of Farnsby Street.

“The current proposal seeks to address that issue by constructing 95 residential flats of one bedroom-two person and two bedroom-three person designs with the aim of increasing the vibrancy in this part of the town and making better use of the available land than the original scheme did.”

Plans are yet to be submitted, but the firm says the scheme will not include parking apart from service laybys.

Four restaurants and a coffee shop are still included on the ground and mezzanine floors, but the plans will see a tower 10-storeys above them at the Farnsby Street end and between four and seven storeys above the rest of the development.

Vehicle access will be from Commercial Street and the restaurants will be serviced by two delivery bays.

The market first opened in 1994 and was home to many small businesses and cafes.

Several bids have been made to redevelop the site, including one in 2008 which came to nothing, and the building gradually became more rundown in appearance.

Developers CIP, who were given a 99-year lease by the council, lodged their plans in December 2015 and although traders battled hard to save the market, by the time the appeal was won it was largely empty. Planning officers had recommended approval and the plan had the support of Forward Swindon, but the planning committee turned it down in June last year and were taken to appeal.