Christmas shoppers have been given one, small early present this year by Swindon Borough Council.

More parking in the centre of town.

The disused site, currently covered in gravel and behind fences, where the old Wyvern multi-storey car park used to stand next to Islington Street across the corner from the theatre will be turned into a temporary car park.

And the work, which will add 53 parking spaces to the town centre capacity, should be finished in December, just in time for the business shopping period of the year.

The scheme is part of ambitious borough council plans for the regeneration of the town centre.

Coun Dale Heenan, the cabinet member for the town centre, said: “This site is an eyesore and local residents want to see visible progress on town centre regeneration.

“Bringing forward work for the temporary bus station means that this car park can be made available before Christmas for motorists, motorcyclists and blue badge holders.

“With construction work due to start in March for the Snowdome at North Star, July being the start of the Kimmerfields building work and December signalling the new 45min train timetable to Paddington, now is the time to think creatively to transform the town centre into a more attractive place in which to live, work and invest.”

Commuter Harry Mortimer was in Swindon at the weekend doing some early Christmas shopping in the town centre.

He said: “Anything that makes it easier to park if you're actually driving into the town centre is helpful. And it would make me more likely to come into Swindon on those days I needed the car for the shopping I was doing."

When the site is useable as a car park it will help the council's scheme to create a new bus boulevard along Fleming Way

It is expected that the Princes Street car park, just across the street from the new Wyvern car park will be transformed into a temporary bus facility while the Fleming Way boulevard is being regenerated.

Work is expected to start on the Princes Street car park in autumn 2019.

Motorists who use it can then find space in the new Wyvern car park, though wits 53 spaces are less than half of the 122 currently available in the existing facility.

The new bus boulevard in Fleming Way is one of the key pledges made by the council's Conservative administration, and the council says it's key to its regeneration plans for the town centre

Mr Mortimer, 44, said: "I think improvement to public transport in the town is very important. More parking is great, but the more cars you attract in, in the end, it just gets more congested."

Work to install the Wyvern Car Park is being funded through the Swindon and Wiltshire Local Enterprise Partnership.

The old Wyvern multi-storey was demolished a few years ago after the Whalebridge multi-storey a few hundred yards away was completed