IT promises to be the biggest redevelopment in Eastleigh town centre in 20 years and when finished will give the town a state-of-the-art leisure centre.

A multi-million-pound project to rejuvenate the centre of Eastleigh is due to begin next month with those in charge saying they hope the work will be completed by the end of next year.

The £24m scheme will be built next to the Swan Centre and will comprise restaurants, bars and shops alongside a new 20-lane bowling alley and nine-screen cinema. The 125,000 sq ft project has taken years of planning and promises to be the largest economic boost to the town since the Swan Centre itself was finished in 1989.

Building work on the centre is now due to start on July 9 with the developers hoping the scheme could be completed by the end of 2008 if all goes to plan.

Civic leaders greeted the announcement with optimism, saying the new facilities would finally mean Eastleigh's residents would not have to go to other towns for their evening entertainment.

They also welcomed the return to the town of a cinema - the first since The Regal on Market Street was shut in 1980 and turned into a nightclub. The project is being built by PRUPIM - the management company that looks after The Swan Centre on behalf of the Prudential - and developers Cordwell.

They say the new centre will be an open air contemporary complex and have already secured firms for the premises including AMF Bowling, Vue Cinemas, food chain Nandos and Frankie and Bennys.

Dee Buffone, centre manager at The Swan Centre, said: "We've reached a major milestone and the careful plans to transform the retail and leisure offering of Eastleigh are now being put into action.'' Eastleigh Borough Council leader Keith House said: "With new amenities linking into the Swan Shopping Centre, Eastleigh's evenings will be all the brighter now that people won't have to trek to other towns for entertainment. There's so much more to Eastleigh!"