IT ONCE provided a safe haven for Swindon's homeless.

But Davis House will soon be no more after demolition teams moved in this week.

The former Salvation Army-owned hostel will be razed to the ground as part of ongoing plans to transform Swindon town centre.

The Carfax Street building was bought for £2.4m last April and has been standing empty since August.

But the adjacent NHS walk-in centre, which was bought for £2.3m more than a year ago, will only be demolished once alternative premises can be found for the service.

Both buildings will form part of the first phase within the Exchange development.

Chris Hitchings, of the New Swindon Company, said: "As soon as a development agreement is signed then developers will crack on putting forward their stuff for the planning application.

"The developers will then look to start on the first phase of the project in early 2009.

"We are pulling Davis House down because it is vacant and has become a bit of a danger.

"We are pleased with how things are progressing but we still have a lot of paperwork to get through."

At 17 acres, the Exchange and Arena area is set to become one of the largest town centre developments in the south west.

It will feature 55,000sq m of office space, 40,000sq m of leisure facilities, a 200-bed hotel and 450 new homes.

There will also be 1,300 car parking spaces included in the plans, which would see Fleming Way and Whalebridge Roundabout being demolished to make way for a new pedestrian-friendly road system with access for public transport.

There is now a hostel for the homeless in nearby Princes Street.