THERE is just a year to go until High Wycombe's Eden project is set for completion and bosses insist the shopping centre will open on time.

Developers Multiplex say shop exteriors are now visible from the ground with building work inside the complex set to increase. The shopping centre, based in the heart of Wycombe town centre, will provide around 670,00sqft of retail and leisure space, with new restaurants, stores, a 12-screen cinema, and a bowling alley.

This March also marks the one-year anniversary of when building work commenced on the plan.

At the same time another developer, Helical Bar, has announced plans to complement Eden by building shops, leisure facilities and homes in nearby Lily's Walk. The road is just outside Eden's margin and the multi-million pound plan would transform the site which was previously wasteland.

Helical Bar is now negotiating with Wycombe District Council before it submits an application.

Chief executive Michael Slade, said: "We will probably put in three or four large shops and 40,000 sqft of leisure outlets. We're looking at the requirements to improve the daytime and evening facilities by bringing in new operators -possibly a kids' activity centre or it could be a nightclub or bingo."

Meanwhile at Eden, Multiplex says the new four-storey House of Fraser, near Desborough Road, and the new two-storey Marks & Spencer, near the bus station in Bridge Street, are having the final touches put to their exteriors.

Two lift shafts are now complete at the House of Fraser and work on the south side of the building has been cleared of scaffolding to reveal the retailer's distinctive brick and glass design. The exterior of House of Fraser, which will be one of the main features of the development, is almost complete and Multiplex is set to hand over the building to the retailer soon so it can start work on the inside.

Alan Peach, retail development director, said Eden was bang on schedule.

He said: "We are delighted that with only 12 months to go until the much awaited opening of Eden, construction continues on schedule.

"However, it is not just the project team who are clearly excited about the progress on site. We already have an impressive list of some of the country's most popular retailers who will be bringing new brands into High Wycombe.

"Eden is now over 85 per cent let which is highly unusual for a scheme at this stage of construction. We are in advanced negotiations with a number of new retailers and we look forward to releasing details of these in the near future."

Eden's M&S, which is identifiable by a cylindrical drum and lies below the cinema, has had its escalators completed and work is continuing on the inside behind closed doors.

A grand escalator, which will lead to an arched footbridge between the cinema and bowling alley, has also been installed.

Work on 55 retail units, which will surround a revitalised Tesco and the outside edges of the development, is underway and the steel structures are in place to accommodate names such as Zara, Topshop and Next. These will sit beneath a suite of 48 executive apartments, the structure of which is also complete.

Near to the apartments will be High Wycombe's new 26,000sqft library and Denmark Street will lead shoppers to the main square. The three dimensional floor plan, for the new Tesco, is also beginning to fit together.

The project, which is being done as part of the town's £500 million regeneration programme, is being developed by Multiplex in partnership with Wycombe District Council and Aldersgate Investment Ltd. It is hoped that once complete, the shopping centre will propel High Wycombe into the top 50 UK shopping destinations.