DEVELOPER Foinavon claims its proposals for the redevelopment of the Ushers site in Trowbridge will reap huge economic rewards for the town.

The firm, which is redeveloping the brewery and bottling plant sites, said findings by a consultancy firm show the town is losing millions of pounds to other shopping centres across the west.

Bristol-based planning consultants White Young Green Planning has found in excess of £80million of available spending in Trowbridge is being lost to Bath, Bristol and Swindon.

Foinavon said that whilst the Ushers scheme is not large enough to recapture all of the lost trade, a number of well-known retailers are already expressing interest and up to £3.4million of spending could be clawed back.

Paul Bench, Foinavon's development director, said: "There can be no doubt that the Ushers shops will bring enormous economic benefits to Trowbridge and, what's more, if we get the go-ahead at the next planning meeting on October 3, we can have everything up and running by Christmas 2003."

He said the scheme could help spark the regeneration of the town centre.

He said: "Many other schemes adjacent to the site will begin to come to fruition if our plans are successful."