DEMOLITION work on the derelict former Swindon College building is well underway, with the whole site expected to be cleared by late summer.

Developer Ashfield, which acquired the site in Regent Circus in 2006, has appointed contractor Wring Demolition to start pulling down the eyesore.

Once cleared, the site will boast a £50m leisure complex including a 52,000 sq ft Morrison’s store, eight restaurants, a 30,000 sq ft six-screen Cineworld cinema and a 450-space car park.

Since starting demolition last week, Wring has cleared about three quarters of the smaller buildings, which front Edmund Street. The lower section at the front, facing Regent Circus, is now being taken down.

Once the asbestos has been cleared from the main building, recyclable materials such as metal and wood will be salvaged, and then larger machinery will be brought in to demolish it bit by bit.

Coun Garry Perkins, Swindon Council’s deputy leader, said: “I’m pleased that after so many false dawns the building is coming down. We know the new building will go straight up afterwards because the planning has gone through.”

Work is set to begin on construction of the complex in the autumn for a spring 2014 opening.