The closure of part of the Brunel Shopping Centre has sparked concerns about the future of the site and it impacting Christmas trade in the rest of the town centre.

The Arcade section of the shopping hub is currently inaccessible as the ground floor entrance has been locked since November 20 and hoardings block off the first-floor entrance to The Crossing on that side of the bridge, near the Fillerz seating area and empty Eggelicious space.

Visitors who park in the Brunel North car park cannot use the walkway into the centre and must instead take two flights of stairs to the ground floor and then wander over to Wharf Green via the path near the Brunel West car park to reach the shops.

New signs point the way to guide visitors who may be confused by the closure.

There are fears that this off-putting diversion could impact what should be the busiest time of the year for business owners in the area.

A source told the Adver: “It is not a great start to their shopping experience. Does FI really care about Swindon centre? Or does the investment company like the land it is on?”

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All the businesses that occupy the Brunel Shopping Centre remain open as normal. The only tenants that are still occupying the Arcade section – Buzz Gym and the Delikatesy Polskie Smaczek – are accessible via separate entrances.

A FI Real Estate Management spokesperson said: “We have recently closed off access to the Arcade of the Brunel Shopping Centre in line with our strategy to consolidate the retail offering to The Plaza and high street.

“This will improve customer experience, mitigate anti-social behaviour to create a safe shopping environment and enable our on-site teams to deliver a quality service to our tenants.

(Image: Newsquest) “We are committed to providing a welcoming shopping experience for all our visitors whilst we review plans for the future of the Arcade."

Most of the units in that section remain empty as the shops and salons that once traded there have either closed or moved elsewhere.

In 2022, plans were put forward to build two tower blocks with almost 300 flats on top of the Arcade as well as revamp the ground floor to include new shops, restaurants and bars, with meeting rooms, leisure spaces and a garden on the first floor.

Those plans do not seem to have progressed any further.

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