Princes HouseNEWS that Princes House in the centre of Swindon is on the market is proof that the rejuvenation of the town centre is moving closer to becoming a reality.

That's the view of the New Swindon Company, which is delighted that the building, which is currently student accommodation, is up for sale.

Princes House is next to the former Nationwide Atrium building in Princes Street, which is being converted to flats and some office and shops.

The announcement that it is being put on

the market follows last week's sale of the police station, just across the road, for more than £2 million to the South West Regional Development Agency on behalf of the NSC, which will eventually become an arts centre a move seen as being central to success of the NSC's plans.

Princes House is in the NSC's Promenade area in the masterplan for Swindon's regeneration, and could become offices, homes, a hotel or stay as a student halls. But whatever happens, the sale is likely to bring a welcome facelift to a piece of drab 1970s architecture.

Rosemary Wells, the NSC's director of business development, said: "We're keen to see this and encourage use in the building as soon as possible. Whereas we have lived with it for a while, it is now moving forward in public and taking a real step in the transformation. You can see it becoming a reality the words are beginning to come off the page."

At the moment the NSC is not laying down anything specific that it would like to see in the building, but has said that having an "active street frontage" meaning that the street level of the building would have shops, cafs or restaurants to encourage people to visit is important.

Atisreal estate agents in Bristol have been appointed by Cranfield University to sell the Princes House freehold. The building itself has 59,000sq ft of spaces, and at the moment has 180 single and twin rooms for Cranfield University students.

John Howells, of Atisreal, said: "The property forms part of an area earmarked for regeneration by the New Swindon Company, and its close proximity to the central shopping area and train station should enhance its future potential as an investment."

Tom Morton