THE first images of the multi-million pound redevelopment of Abingdon’s Abbey Shopping Centre and Charter area have been released.

Artist’s impressions reveal how the ambitious project to transform the rundown Bury Street precinct, off Market Place, will be realised.

To accommodate a major supermarket with a 700-space car park, a redeveloped former Woolworths store and possibly a new hotel, the centre’s canopies will be removed and its flat roofs replaced with gable roofs.

Traditional materials, such as slate, clay and brick, will form the outside of the revamped buildings so that it is in keeping with the town’s historic architecture.

The designs – created for Scottish Widows Investment Partnership which has a long lease on the centre – also include relocating the Charter’s library and the health centre to the upper floors of the complex.

Town council leader Lesley Legge said: “I am interested to see more detail and the suggestions are certainly more in keeping with a historic town centre than what we have at present.

“Scottish Widows come across as having a positive attitude on the potential of the shopping precinct and plans to upgrade the units to attract more retailers back into Abingdon.

“With the number of recently-built and new homes in Abingdon there are real opportunities for retailers in our town centre.”

More detail on the proposals are set to be revealed during an exhibition at the precinct next week.

A price tag for the project has not been revealed, nor has a timeframe.

But a source at Vale of White Horse District Council, which owns the site, revealed it should be completed within five years.

Peter Wiblin, joint chairman of Abingdon and District Chamber of Commerce and the owner of West End Newsagents, in Bury Street, said: “I have reservations about losing the canopy.

“On the other hand it has always felt a bit like a subway and this will open the area up to more of a traditional high street.

“The designs are good and are the start of the breakthrough we need.”

Scottish Widows senior investment manager Peter Webb said: “In these challenging financial times, we aim to bring much needed upgraded facilities to Abingdon.

“Acutely aware of previous ideas for the scheme by earlier owners, we look to engage with local opinion and to consider all representations made during the consultation stage.”

An exhibition with further details will be on show at unit 33 of the precinct, on Friday, January 15, between noon and 7pm, Saturday, January 16, between 10am and 3pm, and Monday, January 18, between 1pm and 3pm.