SHOPPERS have described a £1.5m revamp at a town centre store as the start needed to bring Swindon into the 21st century.

However, many said the refit at Debenhams, in The Parade, in Fleming Way, planned for later this month, did not go far enough and more still needed to be done to attract shoppers into the town centre.

The Swindon store is one of three chosen by the UK office, alongside Glasgow and Manchester, for a major facelift and expansion.

The work will begin on March 15 and will last for about 16 weeks.

This follows ongoing work totalling £4m in Canal Walk and the replacement of the old BHS store in Bridge Street, which is to be demolished as part of a £25m town centre development.

Shoppers in town yesterday said they liked the new Debenhams design.

Jessica Hemmett, 19, from Stratton Road, Stratton, said: “It brings us up into the 21st century, probably there is a bit more to see though.

“If you’ve got good quality shops people will come in. It will be quite nice really, quite different from the rest of the town centre. It’s better than it has been, but it could still get better.

“It just needs to be modernised, it could just do with a revamp.”

Jacky Ponting, 55, from Oakhurst, said: “It looks good, it’s a good thing because this town just needs a revamp.

“Times are changing, I would say that the town needs to move on and change with the times.”

Her husband Craig, 46, said: “The thing is they need to concentrate on other areas not only here or there – that’s the trouble, it’s a bit hit and miss.

“There’s areas in town that if you look at now still reminds you of being in the 1970s.”

Shirley Jones, 63, from West Swindon, said: “If you have got the money to spend it’s the way to go.

“The town’s a right mess at the moment.

“They did a regeneration in Reading and it worked.”

She said issues of graffiti and litter needed to be sorted out.

“I think the town centre has a bad reputation, I think they need to tidy it up so it’s attractive for people coming at any time of day without feeling threatened,” she said.

“It’s no good having nice shops and people staying away because of the atmosphere.”

However, some remained unimpressed by the revamp.

Robert Porter, 59 of Swindon Road, Stratton, said: “I’d like to see more independent shops, more smaller shops and fewer chains.

“It won’t improve things for me, it will bring more people in I imagine, it always will.”

Joy Jansen, in her 60s, from Westlea,who was with her husband Nick said: “If you can make it look better you might entice people in, but it’s what’s in them that’s important, not making it all glitzy.

“We’re a bit older and so much of it seems to be for a younger generation.”

The couple said they thought improving the bus services to the town centre might help and creating areas in town for people to sit down and relax might make the experience more pleasant.

But they said they did like the increasing numbers of outdoor cafes.

Joy suggested turning areas such as the old police station, in Princes Street, into a public park or an extra car park.