Senior councillors will be looking to hear from residents about Swindon’s proud heritage and its buildings, and what they want to see.

And it looks like plenty of people want to tell them.

Nearly 200 people have already signed up for what Councillor Marina Strinkovsky, the council’s cabinet member for heritage, art and culture, calls a conversation about the future of the town’s heritage assets which will be kicked off by an event at the UTC on Monday evening.

Cllr Strinkovsky said: “It’ll almost be standing room only – and that shows you how many people care about the town’s heritage.

"It’s still possible to register for the event."

You can register for your ticket at bit.ly/46z0DWy.

Cllr Strinkovsky said the event, and the council’s engagement with the public, will cover more than what she called the “two sore teeth” of the Mechanics’ Institute and the Locarno/Corn Exchange in Old Town.

She said: “They are included, but also more buildings than that, The Carriage Works, Railway Village, the Civic Offices, which I think is my favourite building in Swindon and is unique, are part of the conversation and parks, Lydiard Park, GWR Park, Town Gardens.

“It’s much wider than just the two everyone knows about.”

And she says the event will be a two-way exchange of information: “We’ve got boards with things like who owns which buildings, not everyone knows these things.

“We have guest speakers including Dr Cassie Newland, Director at the Cultural Heritage Institute, who will talk about getting more young people involved in our heritage.

“The leader Jim Robbins will be there, and I’ll be speaking about where we are going.

“We want to know if people agree with us that our heritage is critical to Swindon’s identity and economic future.

“The numbers who have signed up already suggest that people do care about it.”

After the talks and presentations there will be an opportunity for attendees to ask questions of the councillors and officers.

Cllr Strinkovsky said: “That’s the larger part of the evening.

“We want to hear what people think and want – I do mean it’s a conversation.”

But she warned: “It’s not an infinite conversation space. The council doesn’t have the money and people’s pet projects aren’t likely to be delivered.

“But if we’re wondering whether to do one project or another, and aren’t sure, we need to know if people feel strongly about them. We want to involve people."

The event starts at 6pm and runs until 8.30pm. It is held at UTC in Bristol Street and is free to attend.