A NEW state-of-the-art “gateway” for Swindon will be completed this summer as the railway station gets a complete make over.

The railway station is viewed by many, including the man charged with Swindon’s regeneration councillor Phil Young, as an eyesore and something that is not welcoming to people visiting the town.

Coun Young has said that the station will have a complete overhaul and be “dragged into the 21st century”.

He said: “This is the first thing that people see when they come to Swindon and, to be frank, it is appalling.

“It is a key gateway for the town and we are planning to make it not only more appealing but more accessible.

“It is going to have a high quality make-over this Summer and we are looking at updating the forecourt and the layout of the carpark.

“The new coffee shop at the entrance to the station was the first stage but we have a way to go yet.

“We want to totally transform the area – at the moment Swindon has a functional station and nothing else. We need something that welcomes people to the town and creates hustle and bustle.”

The project forms part of the overall scheme to regenerate the town centre and work should coincide with the demolition of the former Swindon College site, if planning permission for the proposals for it are given the go-ahead. Coun Young, who is stepping down at the forthcoming elections, said: “People literally walk out of the station doors onto the road and it just doesn’t work very well.

“Swindon deserves better and, hopefully, after the summer that is exactly what they will have.”