Construction company Willmott Dixon is set to begin work to build Swindon's new Central Library, having been selected by Swindon Borough Council from a shortlist of six companies.

Work started at the Regent Circus site on 22 January 2007, with a completion date of summer 2008. The construction contract is worth £6.8m, out of a total budget to build the library of £10m.

Willmott Dixon has a long track record of successfully completing major building projects for both the public and private sectors in the South-west, and is currently working on the new David Lloyd Leisure complex at Swindon Gateway.

Swindon Borough Council leader Cllr Roderick Bluh said: “The new Central Library will be a symbol for the regeneration of the town centre, and will end a long wait for the people of Swindon for a decent central library building.

“It’s therefore a flagship project for Swindon and we wanted a company that was capable of delivering on time, within budget, and with the high quality we have demanded.

“Willmott Dixon went through a rigorous tendering process and were clearly the best choice from some very tough competition.”

The new Library, designed in-house by Swindon Borough Council architects, will be built next to the existing Victorian Town Hall and has been designed to blend sympathetically with it. As a result it will be built in traditional high quality stone and brick, to the latest standards in energy efficiency.

Brian Drysdale, managing director of Willmott Dixon in the South-west, said: “This is a high profile project in an area where we are seeing real growth at the moment. We are very pleased to be working alongside Swindon Borough Council in developing the library, and look forward to progressing on site throughout 2007.”