Concerns have been raised over how viable new plans for the tented market in the town centre are.

Originally, the scheme included a tower block to be built alongside restaurants and shops on the site of the closed market.

But, as reported in the Adver, the developer has since dropped the flats but is continuing with the retail plans.

Speaking at a South Swindon Parish Council planning meeting, councillors were worried that the site could be another white elephant.

Cllr Marina Strinkovsky said: “We have Regent Circus with empty restaurants that have gone out of business and we definitely want to replace that white elephant with another one at the other end of the road?

“This is a very unviable proposal. It will disrupt traffic while it’s being built and will contribute nothing that doesn’t already exist at that end of town.

“The business plan for it mystifies me. Why do they think they can successfully monetize that property given the state of the town centre?”

Parish council chairman Cllr Chris Watts added: “With Regent Circus, it took years for construction to start.

“The developer wasn’t going to start work on the demolition of the building until they had contracted a supermarket and several restaurants to go in there.

“I’m not going so far as to call it a white elephant, and when you take into account the new flat plans, there will be extra people living there locally.

“But my concern is the length of time it will take and if we would have a derelict site there.

“Things should be put in place so that it’s not the case of waiting to get contracts before it’s built. Things need to be worked on at the same time.

"We don’t want another site like we did at Regent Circus.”

Concerns for drainage around the site were raised by Cllr Dave Griffiths who added that the tented market is an eyesore.

Alongside the tented market site idea, discussions were had about the two new Brunel tower blocks planned to the town centre.

Despite mainly approving of the scheme, the parish decided that more information was needed about how traffic would be managed and what would be done about waste disposal from the homes.

Cllr Griffiths added: “If they propose to bring two-way traffic to Commercial Road again then you can imagine the nightmare that’s going to create.

“I’m not necessarily against the development, but it’s just going to cause utter mayhem there.

“And the mayhem that will be in the town centre while it’s being built.”