THE latest plans to rejuvenate Trowbridge town centre have been unveiled.

New proposals to transform the former Ushers bottling plant into shops, homes and leisure facilities were unveiled this week by Reading-based Foinavon, in answer to criticisms of previous plans from West Wiltshire District Council.

Development director Paul Bench said: "We have listened to their concerns from last time and we have come back with something radically different."

The £25m scheme for the brewery and bottling plant would see the now derelict 8.5-acre site transformed into 111 new homes, shops and a family restaurant as well as leisure facilities and a large car park.

The former bottling plant site will be made up of ten shops and 28 apartments/houses and 236 customer parking spaces.

Big name retailers already being associated with the scheme include Next, Laura Ashley and Marks and Spencer.

The new plans include a commitment from the developer of £100,000 for roadworks and £64,000 for open spaces.

One of the main objections raised by the district council to the last plans was the effect on people living around the area.

Foinavon has addressed that issue by changing the position of the new homes planned for the site in relation to retail servicing areas.

Town houses and apartments will face existing homes at The Conigre and British Row, screening them from a view of servicing areas and large shops.

Work on the brewery site, which already has planning permission, cannot go ahead without the rest of the scheme.

Foinavon lodged an appeal against the council's decision to refuse permission to develop the bottling site when the last set of plans were submitted.

Mr Bench has pointed at the Vision for Trowbridge masterplan, which councillors hope will be adopted as supplementary planning guidance, as a reason for delays to Foinavon's application.

He said the company plans to appeal if the latest application also fails to gain planning permission.

He said: "This is a concrete scheme for improvement rather than something that might never happen.

"If we don't get any co-operation on this we will pursue the council through the appeals process."

It is thought that the application will go before the council in May.

If the decision is in the developer's favour it is hoped that work on the shopping centre could be completed within 18 months.

The appeal against the first application is due to be decided in September and Mr Bench said the company will go ahead with that course if a decision has not been made on the new plan by then.

Town and district councillor Tom James gave a cautious welcome to the plans this week, but warned that more work still needs to be done.

He said: "From what I have seen and heard it is a much, much better application but I still have enormous worries about the traffic."

Cllr James wants Foinavon to consider a traffic survey of the area to measure the affect the traffic caused by work on the site and then the complex itself will have on people living nearby.

Former mayor and district councillor Jeff Osborn has already warned his colleagues not to let this opportunity for the town slip through their fingers.

He said: "I am glad the new plans have come in. They seem to be vastly improved.

"There is plenty of demand for this type of retail development in the town."