OPINION on the town centre was split when we spoke to Swindon shoppers this week.

Tegid Johnson, 72, visiting Swindon from South Wales, said: “It looks alright to me. It’s very clean.”

But those who live or work in the town were less complimentary.

Lesley Clarke, 64, from North Swindon, said: “It definitely needs brightening up. It’s quite disappointing coming here. There’s too much concrete and not a lot of greenery.”

Christine Williams, 70, said: “All the shops that I shop at are closure. House of Fraser is going. I reckon Marks and Spencer’s might go. The town centre is just full of cafés.”

“I used to work in town. There were things like furniture shops then, but they’ve all gone. We’ve got no big stores.”

Archie White, 18, said: “It could be better, with more shops around the place. It’s just the same stuff.”

The Swindon teen suggested turning empty shops into activity centres for the town’s young people: “I’d like to get extra facilities for youngsters. You could convert some of these unusable buildings into some kind of youth centre.”

Clair Miles, 44, from North Swindon, said she came into the town centre several times a week: “A lot of the shops have shut, which I don’t think is particularly helping the town centre thrive.”

Next month, Wharf Green will be taken over by a new “urban beach”, with a specially-designed sandy beach. InSwindon, which is bringing the beach to the town centre, says families will also be able to try donkey rides, face painting and games. Online, some thought it sounded like a great scheme. SwindonDeb said: “I think that’s a lovely idea. Shame you didn’t think to do it earlier, though.” Adver commenter Shutupgrandad added: “When I worked in Hamburg 10 years ago they had a few man-made beaches. They all had a good relaxed atmosphere and were a fun idea.”

Others were less keen. John-R said: “I hope they’ve got a plan for controlling the sand if it pours with rain. Otherwise, there will be a lot of drains to clean out.”