A 3,000-home building programme is the key to the rebirth of Swindon town centre Deputy Prime Minister John Prescott has claimed.

Speaking yesterday Mr Prescott used his five-year plan for the

regeneration of local communities to hail proposals by the New Swindon Company to boost the population of the town centre.

Under the regeneration body's plans the new homes would be built alongside 100,000 sq metres of leisure and retail space effectively doubling the number of stores.

The development is expected to create around 10,000 jobs.

Mr Prescott's report, Sustainable Communities: People, Places and

Prosperity, said the project, along with similar schemes in Camborne and Gloucester, was vital to house the 500,000 extra people who are expected to live in the south west by 2016.

The report said: "Key regeneration projects (eg in Bristol, Gloucester, Plymouth, Poole and Swindon) will be delivered.

"Urban regeneration companies operating in Camborne, Poole, Redruth, Swindon and Gloucester, will help deliver more than 8,000 additional homes in regenerated town centres."

In the report Mr Prescott announced a range of policies designed to foster "pride, cohesion and vibrancy" in communities.

The proposals focus on quality-of-life issues such as the environment, transport, sprucing up parks, local services, poverty and anti-social behaviour.

A so-called Neighbourhood Charter will give community groups more decision-making while Mr Prescott confirmed he would resurrect his plan for elected

mayors to help transform major cities.

He added: "We want to offer new opportunities for neighbourhoods everywhere. We want people to help shape the local public services they receive, and we want them to become more involved in the democratic life of their community."

His 21-page blueprint for the south west said the government would continue to keep a close eye on Swindon to ensure the borough council continued to "improve service delivery".

The authority is currently overseen by a government monitoring board after it failed to meet key performance targets while a troubleshooting team council executive from Kent County Council are trying to help Swindon's beleaguered social services department improve.

Newdesk