Swindon Borough Council has divided the town centre into nine different zones as part of its regeneration ambitions, a report to the council’s Growing the Economy Overview committee has revealed.

Here’s what the council says about each of the different areas:

The Office District: The area to the south of the Rail Station is identified as Swindon’s prime office quarter. In this area provision of A-grade office space that meets modern ways of working, supplemented by complementary activities to enhance the area’s vibrancy, will be supported. The new Figflex Office at Newbridge Square is an example of the types of investment that will be encouraged in this area. Officers are working with the owners of other vacant and under-used office buildings in the area to facilitate further investment.

Station Gateway: Mixed-use town centre development that supports better connectivity across the railway.

Kimmerfields: Kimmerfields, which adjoins the Office District, is the Town Centre’s flagship development opportunity area. The scheme will provide a mix of uses to provide vibrancy during the day and into the evening. The scheme will create an attractive pedestrian route from the Railway Station into wider Town Centre. Land uses that will be supported at Kimmerfields will comprise cultural, office and residential development. Ancillary retail, and food & beverage uses will also be supported. The 10,000sqm, Grade ‘A’ office building for Zurich sets the tone for the quality and scale of development that will be expected to come forward at Kimmerfields.

Regent Circus/Town Hall Area: The area around Regent Circus and the Town Hall (the top of Regent Street) is already home to the central library, a cinema and several restaurants and leisure attractions. The area also benefits from good public transport facilities. The area will be enhanced to become a prime evening economy and leisure destination. Newer attractions, for example, the Boom Battle Bar, are complementing existing attractions, such as Meca and several excellent restaurants, to enable this area to become a vibrant, family friendly, leisure destination for Swindon. Work is proceeding on a 194-bedroom Premier Inn with a Bar+Block restaurant at the former Aspen House site opposite The Savoy. This major (£17m) regeneration scheme will further contribute to the vibrancy of the Regent Circus/Town Hall area as a leisure destination.

Fleet Street/Faringdon Road/Bridge Street Area: This is currently a struggling part of town with a high proportion of vacant units. However, given that it contains several attractive heritage buildings, and its strategic location between Swindon Station, the retail core and the historic Railway Village, the area has the potential to become a vibrant, mixed use, independent district. The investments nearby (at Kimmerfields, the Boulevard and the Heritage Action Zone) will drive greater footfall into Fleet Street. These substantial investments will make the Fleet Street area the up-and-coming area of the town. Mixed-use schemes will be encouraged that contribute to the area’s vibrancy, whilst protecting and enhancing the area’s historic buildings. The recently opened ‘The Drink Valley’, an independent, micro-brewery and craft beer pub at Fleet Square, is an example of the types of activities that will be supported in this area.

Princess Street Area: The Princess Street area is the focus of civic functions and car parks. This area is poorly connected with the rest of the Town Centre and lacks a sense of place. The aim is to intensify activity and diversify the uses. Town Centre living is supported in this area. New development will be expected to create a sense of place and to enhance connections with the wider town centre.

Retail Core Area: The retail core consists of Regent Street, Canal Walk, The Parade and the Brunel Centre. The area remains the primary shopping area in the Town. The aim is to retain and enhance this area as the primary shopping area by safeguarding an active street frontage along key routes and facilitating the subdivision of vacant larger units into small units suitable for independent and specialist retailers. Residential and commercial uses above ground floor will be encouraged to lend greater vibrancy to the area. The refurbishment of the WW Hunters Building at Regent Street, to deliver smaller retail units at ground floor with residential above, provides a template for further investment in the retail core area.

Railway Heritage Area: Within the Railway Heritage Area, the Local Plan seeks to deliver regeneration in a way that preserves and enhances Swindon’s Railway Conservation Area, which brings vacant heritage assets back into positive use and which establishes the area as a vibrant and integrated part of Swindon town centre. Several projects are currently being implemented, through the Heritage Action Zone programme, to support the area’s transition to a vibrant heritage destination that is reconnected with the commercial town centre.

North Star: This area is allocated for a new residential neighbourhood that is anchored by an enhanced, strategic scale, leisure facility. New development will be expected to provide strong connectivity with existing uses at North Star, such as the college, and to provide greatly enhanced connectivity for pedestrians and cyclists across the railway