A £1m scheme has been drawn up to transform a part of Swindon town centre that has been plagued by prostitutes.

The Home Zone scheme would completely alter the appearance of Broad Street area of Swindon by ripping up existing roads, pave-ments and lamp-posts to rebuild the street scene from scratch.

Landscaping, block paving and other features would be introduced, reducing traffic speeds in the area to 10mph or less.

The road and pavement would be paved in the same material and interspersed with play spaces, parking areas and street furniture.

A similar project was completed in the Morice Town area of Plymouth last year and has achiev-ed dramatic results.

And Bristol City Council is in the process of creating six Home Zones.

The project is still in the early stages and Swindon Council is to consult residents and produce some preliminary designs.

An initial £5,000 council study has concluded that the scheme is feasible and the scheme was discussed at last night's Transport, Environment and Neighbourhood Services Commission meeting.

Funding is likely to come from a combination of Swindon Council, the South West Regional Develop-ment Agency and possibly the European Union.

Swindon Council traffic manage-ment officer, Adrian Dean, said that he is confident that the proposed Home Zone scheme will go ahead.

He said: "The potential benefits are that it can turn streets into a valued public space fostering a sense of community.

"Street prostitution would probably be very much reduced because it will become more a family area rather than the sort of area where strangers come and do the sort of thing they are currently doing there."

Provided there is local support for the plan, and funding can be found, the Broad Street area Home Zone could be in place within three years.

Les Horn, the chairman of the Broad Green Residents Association said: "I am sure this will have a major affect on the area, I went on the visit to Plymouth and you really have to see it to believe it. It will improve the quality of life of everyone living here, and this is the right place for this to happen, it's very similar to the area in Plymouth, traffic can still flow through."

The area covered would likely include Broad Green Comm-unity Centre and Manchester Road which has become known as Swindon's red light district in recent years. In January, Swindon Council won an injunction banning four prostitutes from frequenting the area between the hours of 6am and 6pm for a year.

Central ward councillor John Taylor (Lab) said: "It is great news and hopefully it will go ahead. I have visited the scheme in Plymouth and it was a revelation."

Residents in the area today welcomed the new scheme.

Daniel Groundwater, 24, a warehouse worker who lives in Broad Street, said: "If they are going to redevelop the area for the better then I am all for it. I have had no problems living here. It is close to town and quite handy for people my age.

Peter Newson, 56, of Old Town, runs electrical contractors firm Peter Newson, which is located in Broad Street.

He said: "I find the speed of some of the traffic mind boggling so anything to make people keep to the speed limit is a bonus.''