Hundreds of jobs could be created following news that electronics giant Lucent Technologies may be planning to occupy a purpose-built campus of five three-storey buildings on a 30 acre site in South Marston.

The buildings are believed to be planned mainly for administrative and research and development purposes.

Lucent, the world's largest supplier of telecommunications equipment, is taking on what is essentially the last major development area in Swindon on a site adjacent to Honda on the South Marston Trading Estate.

Formerly part of AT&T before being demerged in 1995, Lucent employs more than 1,000 people at five sites in Swindon.

It also employs several hundred people at its Malmsbury plant and about 100 at offices in Chippenham.

The firm has more than 125,000 employees globally, 20,000 of them at 98 sites in 27 countries in Europe.

What is not clear is to what extent the company may be planning to centralise its operations at South Marston or if it plans to move people from its Swindon sites at Windmill Hill Business Park, the Quadrant and 3B2.

Last year also saw it opening a £6 million hi-tech Network Integration and Customer Solution Centre at the Westlea Campus.

There are two other divisions of the company in swindon, one dealing with wireless communications and the other with electronics research and development.

The 30 acre site plan is being proposed by MEPC, developers of Swindon's town centre.

Agents DPDS Consulting Group of Old Town, has applied to Swindon Council to build the complex with access roads and car parking set in a heavily landscaped site.

The site already enjoys the benefit of outline planning permission establishing the principle of development.

The proposal clearly identifies South Marston Park as a prime location for modern high technology company headquarters.

And while it is excellent news for Swindon, it does raise the question of just what other single large development opportunities are available until Swindon Council identifies and allocates additional land in its local review.

This provides development and support for carriers and communications service providers in the UK and for Europe operations.