A major redevelopment of the Castle Place Shopping Centre in Trowbridge is under way, ahead of plans to transform the former Tesco site behind it into a cinema and hotel complex.

The shopping centre’s owner, Legal and General Property, also owns the neighbouring St Stephens Place site, which has been the subject of plans for a cinema and hotel.

The revitalised centre will have new branding, while the exterior will have a deep clean. However, Legal and General Property has vowed to keep the Castle Place name to maintain the area’s heritage.

Inside the centre will have a major facelift, with new floors and lighting. It will also be redecorated and get new entrance areas.

The work, which is due to be completed by December, will be undertaken in phases to minimise disruption for shoppers.

The investment, of an undisclosed sum, follows the announcement of new plans for St Stephens Place.

Bought by the company in June 2010, the site is now the subject of an application to build an eight-screen digital cinema, an 80-bedroom hotel and a mix of restaurants and cafes along a landscaped riverside setting.

A public exhibition on the plans will be held on October 21 and 22, from 9.30am to 5.30pm at the shopping centre.

A website showing the plans has been launched – www.trowbridgecinema.co.uk – outlining the proposals.

A planning application is due to be submitted to Wiltshire Council later this year.

Tim Russell, a senior asset manager at Legal and General Property, said: “This fresh investment into Trowbridge reflects our confidence in the future of the town centre.

“Together with the development at St Stephens Place, we want to help create a vibrant centre that people want to visit in the evening, as well as during the day.

“Alongside creating new jobs and enhancing the town’s heritage by keeping the traditional names for our site, the plans will help support existing shops, bars and restaurants by providing a new hotel, as well as encouraging visitors to stay in the town centre.

“The rebranding and refurbishment of Castle Place Shopping Centre is very much part of this and will result in a town centre local people can be proud of.”

Cllr Fleur de Rhe-Philipe, the cabinet member for economic regeneration at Wiltshire Council, said: “We warmly welcome this investment in the Castle Place Shopping Centre, which will help support the economic vitality of Trowbridge town centre.

“We are very interested in LGP’s emerging proposals for St Stephens Place and look forward to receiving a planning application for this site in the near future.”