A LANDMARK six-storey development is to breathe new life into the town centre.

Planners unanimously approved a scheme for the long-awaited Phoenix Gate develop- ment on the site of the former post office in Fleming Way.

The plans, first mooted in 2000, are for 160 upmarket apartments with nearly 100 car parking spaces on the prime 0.5 hectare plot.

Around 280 square metres of the ground floor will be used for either shops, restaurants or offices.

This single storey unit will face onto the walkway near the underpass to the Parade.

The parking spaces will be on the ground floor in the main building.

Of the residential accommodation, 58 flats will be two bedroom apartments, 90 will be for single occupancy and the remaining 12 will be studio flats.

The development will be mainly five-storeys high, rising to six on the south-eastern and south western corners fronting Fleming Way.

The plans, submitted by Bristol-based Crosby Homes, have altered since the last proposals were drawn up in April, when the number of flats stood at 110.

The project was passed without debate by members.

The post office in Fleming Way closed along with the Theatre Square branch at the end of last year.

The outlets were replaced with a new post office on the ground floor of the Plaza 21 apartment block.

The scheme has been called the Phoenix Gate because it is expected to usher in a new and exiting phase in Swindon's development.

The complex forms a key part of the town's 30-year vision of growth.

A report presented to planners last night said: "This is a very important site in the town centre, and the development which is approved will set the standard for town centre development for the next 30 years. There are benefits which derive from the re-development of this site in terms of the provision of housing, and the impact of the new development on the prosperity of the town centre."

In 2001, it looked as if the scheme could fall through as developers became exasperated with the delay in gaining planning consent.

The plans were given a new lease of life the following year when Consignia announced the shake-up in the provision of post offices in the town centre.

Tamash Lal