A £1M facelift is under way in one of Southampton's established shopping centres.

The Marlands, which was officially opened in the early 1990's by the controversial tycoon Gerald Ronson as part of his Heron property empire, is set to be transformed over the coming months with a series of alterations designed to attract more visitors.

Since the opening of the £295m WestQuay shopping centre nearby, visitor numbers have fallen, admitted chartered surveyor Howard Taylor.

But despite the migration of some of its retailers to WestQuay, Marlands has maintained a varied selection of shops.

"We are not trying to compete with WestQuay rather we see that we complement each other.

"There is no denying that we have been affected by the WestQuay phenomenon but we see it as a great addition for the city," said Mr Taylor, who represents the centre's new owners, Hermes.

The facelift will involve:

* A new backlit, glazed entrance feature to replace the clock structure on Above Bar

* A new entrance lobby from Portland Terrace opposite the Asda supermarket

* Internal changes to create a better link between the ground and first floor shops

*l Removal of the bandstand feature by Dunnes store and the introduction of a new mall caf

"The Marlands was a child of its time and as times have moved on, it became clear that some changes had to be made. The first floor is not as successful as we would like so we are making improvements to link it better with the ground floor," added Mr Taylor

Manager Brandon Surtees said: "The changes will be evolutionary. We will be removing the planting upstairs so that we can open up those areas to allow people to see upstairs and vice versa.

"We are starting the work this week and much of it will go on overnight so the public will not be adversely affected by the changes.

"We hope to have all the work completed by the end of September."