THE progress of Swindon's regeneration plans has been given the once over by some of the town's youngsters.

Members of the Haydon Wick junior parish council were given the update by Swindon Council leader Rod Bluh.

The group were shown plans and artists' impressions of each of the regeneration areas around the town centre, and told how work was going on each.

"We are getting much, much closer to delivering the areas," said Coun Bluh.

"Hopefully, you'll have seen the library rising up out of the ground, and the structural work should be finished after Christmas.

"By the middle of February we should be ready to start filling out the inside."

The group of youngsters listened intently as they heard how work on Regents Place and the old college site, at Regent Circus, was getting on.

Simon Dabbs, 14, said all the plans looked interesting.

"They look good, and are different to what I was expecting them to be like," said the teenager.

"I think it's really good that the regeneration is happening.

"If it doesn't happen, then Swindon will just shrivel up and die."

The children were full of questions for Coun Bluh, including whether or not the council was worried about people ruining the new spaces.

"It is always a risk and a worry," he said.

"But it has been proven that when people have nice things they look after them."

And the more financially astute in the group were keen to find out how the £1.3bn worth of projects were being paid for.

Coun Bluh said: "Nearly all of the money is coming from the private sector.

"The only real extent the council is investing is in landholdings.

"And then we will retain the freehold lease, just giving out long leaseholds in the areas."

The event also proved the perfect time to ask the teenagers what they would like to see in the new Youth Service headquarters, which will be based at the old railway museum, in Faringdon Road.

Coun David Sammels, Swindon Council's youth champion, was inundated with suggestions and questions about the new centre.

Among the ideas from the junior parish council members was a communal cooking area, to have the centre open as much and as late as possible, and for special buses to run from different parts of Swindon to the building.

Coun Sammels said he would take all the suggestions back to the Youth Service.

The junior parish council was established by Haydon Wick Parish Council as a forum to gain young people's views about what they would like for the parish, and wider area.

The junior council reports back to parish council.